See Right Through My Walls
by HPfanonezillion
Summary: Peeta has a lot on his plate with a cake decorating business, a young son, and his son's drug addicted mother floating in and out of the picture. But when he meets Katniss through mutual friends, he decides to make a little room. All he has to do is show Katniss that friendship is fine, but romance is better.
1. Chapter One

_Author's note: I'm back with a new story for y'all! I had this single dad!Peeta thought and I couldn't shake it. Don't know how long this will be, but prepare yourself for a slow burn! The title comes from the Christina Perri song Arms which fits very well with this story._

 _Many thanks to my beta aihodineverlark for jumping in to help out with this story!_

 _Thanks a ton to my bestie for always reading my stuff!_

 _Trigger warnings (more for the rest of the fic than this first chapter): Teen parents, drug addiction, absent mother_

* * *

See Right Through My Walls

Everlark Fanfic

Chapter One

Mornings were usually hectic for Peeta and Riley. On baker's hours, Peeta usually woke at dawn and started baking cakes. His son, on the other hand, did not. Six-year-old Riley was not a morning person. Between trying to time the cakes and get his son to school on time, sometimes they barely made it. And more than once Peeta miscalculated the time and ended up with dried-out or burnt cakes.

"Come on, Riles." Peeta shook the boy's shoulder. "First grade, first day." He shook Riley's shoulder again. "Come on, bud, we gotta get up. You can't be late today."

Riley stretched his limbs out in every direction and let out an angry groan. "Do I have to, Dad? Why can't you homeschool me?"  
"Because I can't, Riley." Peeta pointed to the pile of clothes at the end of the bed. "Get dressed, brush your hair and teeth. I made waffles and if you want to eat them with syrup, you better get a move on. Otherwise it's peanut butter in the back seat."

Riley huffed, "Fine." He threw himself out of the bed and grabbed his clothes.

Peeta put a waffle on a plate for Riley and two on another for himself. He added the bacon, cooked perfectly crispy, as his son shuffled into the room dragging his backpack filled with all the necessary school supplies.

"Are you excited?" Peeta asked as he watched Riley pour too much syrup on his waffle.

Riley shrugged and shoved a syrupy bite into his mouth. "None of my friends are in my class."

"You'll see them at recess." Peeta checked his phone and took a bite before standing to remove cake pans from the oven to cool.

The kitchen was massive with two industrial-sized ovens. The home stove was practically dwarfed by those units. The open front room of the house that would normally be used for a formal living room was set up with refrigerators, tables, and all the tools Peeta needed for his cake decorating business. The rest of the house was their home.

"What kind of cake are you making today?" Riley asked around a full mouth.

Peeta smiled as he sat back down. "A big white wedding cake."

Riley ate the rest of his breakfast in silence. He chugged his milk and then wiped the back of his hand across his mouth. "You ever going to make one for yourself?"

Peeta snorted and shook his head. "I don't know, kid. Maybe one of these days." He ruffled his son's hair. "Got you to worry about. And making cakes. I don't need a wife on top of it."

"Well, you could at least have a girlfriend." Riley gave him a hard look. "You're still young, Dad."

Peeta shook his head as he picked up their plates. "Shoes and bathroom. We're out the door in three minutes."

It took them ten. Peeta had somehow forgotten to turn on the drier last night, so there were no socks. He tore his own drawers apart to find some socks of his that would work well enough for his son's small feet. And then Riley couldn't find one of his shoes when the sock problem was finally solved.

They managed to pull into the parking lot as the principal motioned for the last of the staff to head inside. Peeta let Riley out and waited until he was through the door before he drove back home.

When he got there, Annie was waiting on his porch holding two cups from the café. Peeta knew one would have tea with no sugar for him and the other would be a vanilla latte with an extra shot of espresso for her. He parked around the side and made his way up to unlock the door.

"Pearl is off to her first day of kindergarten!" Annie announced as she followed Peeta inside the house. "And I am completely free of kids until three."

"A massive accomplishment." Peeta took the offered cup and walked over to check the side of the pans he'd removed from the oven earlier. They'd still need a few minutes. "Riley didn't put up too much of a fight today."

"Good." Annie sat at the kitchen table. "So I have another motive for coming over this morning. Other than celebrating my baby's first day."

"What?" Peeta sat down across from her. He didn't like the tone she had.

"Well, this girl Finnick works with came over to eat supper the other night and we got to talking… Peeta, she is so right for you. Like your perfect complementary piece."

Peeta shook his head. This wasn't the first time Annie and Finnick had tried to play matchmaker. Every one of them failed as soon as they found out he had a kid. Especially one that was born while he was still in high school. Either that or they were extremely pushy about meeting Riley.

Annie put a hand on top of Peeta's. "It's been over a year since you had a date, Peeta."

"And that girl said she didn't want to be part of some instant family." He pulled his hand away. "I'm twenty-three, Annie. With a six-year-old. And his druggie mom is in and out of our lives. It's a whole job in itself to keep a woman interested when she knows all that."

"Try?" She begged. "For Riley? She's assistant volleyball coach in the high school. And she was really great with our brood."

Peeta sighed and finished off his tea. "Have you set this up with her?"

"No, I wanted to ask you first. What if we do some sort of gathering at our house? We'll invite other people to soften the blow a bit. You can bring Riley."

"I don't like Riley meeting girls I date before it's serious."

"Then maybe Mom and Conrad can watch him," Annie suggested.

Peeta got up and started preparing for his latest project. "She sent me a text the other day." He started mixing frosting. He didn't have to explain the "she" he was talking about. "Asked when school started. Said she wanted to see Riley."

"Did you answer?" Her voice was soft.

"I just asked her to lose my number. And then I blocked her."

Annie sighed. "She'll show up before too long anyway."

"Yeah." Peeta worked as Annie watched. It really had been quite a while since he dated. Riley's comments earlier had really got him thinking. Maybe Riley needed a mother. One that didn't come around only when it was convenient for her. Peeta sighed, "Set up the date and I'll try to get Dad and Cara to watch _all_ the kids. Deal?"

"Deal." Annie smiled. "I don't think it will take too much convincing, though, do you?"

"All four grandkids at once? Your mom will be in heaven!" He laughed and started mixing up some buttercream.

* * *

Katniss chose archery and a beer for her unwinding after the first official day of school. Volleyball practice had started a few weeks before, so she knew those girls pretty well. Teaching PE was a challenge. She was just so ready to be past the trial stage and be seen as a _real_ teacher. She hated being new anywhere.

Gale's soft greeting met her ears just before she let her latest arrow fly toward the target across the yard. Katniss smiled and pointed her thumb toward the house.

"Beer if you want it." She gathered her arrows from the target as he went toward the fridge just inside her back door.

"How was your day?" Gale asked when he was back outside.

Katniss sat down. "Not too bad. Kids ask a lot of questions."

Gale snorted. "No way." His voice dripped with sarcasm.

She laughed and imitated some of them. "'Hey, Coach, are you married? You got a boyfriend? A _girlfriend_? Got any kids? Well, why not?'" She rolled her eyes and took another drink. "So nosey."

"You should tell them how you broke my heart." He chuckled behind the mouth of his bottle.

"You broke your own heart." Katniss sat down her empty bottle and picked up her bow for another round. "I never showed interest in you or anyone else."

She shot three arrows in quick succession. Two landed in the center of the target, the third was just to the left.

"Damn, even tipsy you're perfect," Gale said in awe.

"Muscle memory." She grinned and shot her remaining arrows. After she retrieved them, she offered the bow to Gale. "Want to take a chance?"

"Not tonight." He finished his beer and stood. "Madge was just about done with supper when I stepped out. She told me to invite you."

"Save me from eating ramen noodles." She sat her stuff inside the back door and locked it up.

Gale and Madge had told Katniss about the house for sale next door when she accepted the coaching job with the District Twelve School System. She'd reconnected with Gale in her final years of college thanks to Facebook. She applied to the school hoping to get to know his wife more and rekindle her only high school friendship.

Madge welcomed Katniss with a kind smile. "I made meatloaf!" She said in greeting.

"Great!" Katniss wasn't a huge fan. But free food was still food.

"So are you looking forward to being a teacher?" Madge asked from the stove.

"The first day was good, so I think so." Katniss helped pile the table with bowls of salad, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn on the cob, and rolls.

Madge brought over the meatloaf as Gale filled all their glasses with water. "Dig in."

"It all looks so good." Katniss said as she filled her plate. "Gale is a lucky man."

"Oh, I'm the lucky one. Married a guy with a cushy enough job I can stay home." Madge grinned. "Did he tell you our news?"

Katniss looked between her friend and his wife. She was beaming with pride and he looked vaguely ill.

"We're pregnant!" Madge giggled. "Fourteen weeks."

"Wow, cool." Katniss smiled at Gale, still looking green around the gills as he chewed. "I think you'll do great."

Gale nodded.

"Anything else new with you?" Madge prodded.

"Just getting to know the other staff. And the kids," Katniss said.

"Any of the teachers single?" Madge asked.

Madge was always trying to find a way to fix her up, but Katniss always politely declined. Katniss had too many other things going on, more important things, to even consider dating most of the time. And it really never had much appeal to her anyway.

"Not as far as I know." Katniss took a bite of her meatloaf encased in mashed potatoes. Madge's were the best she'd ever eaten. And definitely masked the blandness of the meat.

Madge chattered on most of the meal, talking about getting a room ready for the baby mostly. Katniss was glad she didn't press the questions about single teachers. Annie Odair had asked her along with a group of friends the next weekend. And Annie made sure to let Katniss know one of those friends was a single dad she thought would be a perfect match for Katniss.

Back at her house, Katniss changed into her pajamas and settled into bed to watch TV until she fell asleep.

Prim sent her a text just as she was starting to doze off. **Can I come to your house and do laundry this weekend?**

Katniss smiled to herself. **Of course.**

Another reason she'd applied to this school was so that Prim could still visit. Prim had chosen to go to the same college as Katniss, Panem University, an hour away from District Twelve and three hours from their tiny hometown of Seam.

 **Thanks a bunch. How was the first day?**

 **Not bad.** She wasn't much for words and Prim knew it. They talked better in person, but not by much.

 **So I stalked your new Facebook friends. Too bad the swim coach isn't single.** Prim sent a winky face.

Katniss rolled her eyes. **I only got that thing to keep up with you. Stop creeping.**

 **Is the lead volleyball coach single? She's cute.**

Why was everyone so obsessed with this? **I. Do. Not. Need. A. Boyfriend. Or a girlfriend. I don't have any desire to have anyone.** She hit the send and then added. **The swim coach's wife is trying to set me up, though.**

Prim's reply came just as she sent her second text. **You know I'm only joking. I know how you are.** A moment later she wrote, **It wouldn't hurt to at least make friends. So meet whoever it is the swim coach's wife wants you to meet.** She sent a kiss emoji. **Love you bunches! See you Saturday!**

Katniss put her phone away and let out a long breath. Prim was right. Friends were good. She'd never had many of those.


	2. Chapter Two

_Author's note: Ready to see Peeta and Katniss meet?! Can't wait to hear your thoughts!_

 _This chapter contains lyrics to the George Strait song All My Ex's Live in Texas. A fun song from my childhood! Go look it up if you aren't familiar._

 _There is also a reference to the Who's On First comedy bit that I so dearly love. Go look for that one, too!_

 _Thanks so much to my beta aihodineverlark for all your help!_

 _Many thanks to my bestie writingbutunpublished for rereading everything._

 _Happy reading!_

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Chapter Two

Katniss sighed into the mirror as she adjusted her green t-shirt. _Here goes nothing,_ she thought to herself. She headed for the door and picked up her wallet and keys. After getting into her car and starting it, she sat for several minutes to let the interior cool down. She smoothed her hands over her jean-clad thighs. Nerves were getting the better of her. She'd spent time with Finnick and Annie and they always made her feel at ease, but there would be more people this time.

Katniss finally put the car in reverse and backed out of her driveway. She was good with directions and didn't really need Finnick's reminder earlier in the day. But it was nice of him to do so.

There were three other cars outside the Odair home when she pulled in. She hoped the crowd wasn't _too_ big—and that this guy she was supposed to meet wasn't anywhere nearly as flirtatious as Finnick could be. At least Finnick took a hint and stopped being so forward when Katniss showed her discomfort.

Annie happily greeted Katniss and ushered her into the living room where Finnick was telling some big story involving the woman sitting close by with short brown hair. Katniss could tell she had a big personality with the way she interjected every time Finnick got a fact wrong. She was practically wrapped around a woman who had half of her head shaved and vines tattooed on her bare scalp.

Annie murmured in Katniss's ear the names of the people gathered. The brown-haired woman was Finnick's sister Johanna and the other woman was her wife Cressida. Along with them were the computer teacher Beetee and his wife whom Annie referred to as Wiress, though Katniss wasn't sure if that was a nickname or not. She hadn't gotten to know Beetee well enough yet to even remember he had a wife.

"And that's Peeta." Annie pointed out a man her age with curly blonde hair and a kind smile as he listened to Finnick's story. He glanced toward them and quickly turned away. Annie tugged on Katniss's arm. "Come on, I'll introduce you."

Finnick finished his tale just as Annie gestured toward Peeta and then back to Katniss. "Peeta Mellark, Katniss Everdeen."

Peeta stood and held out his hand. His smile was uncertain as she slipped her hand into his. "Nice to meet you," he mumbled. He looked toward Annie, who shrugged and walked toward the kitchen.

"Nice to meet you too." Katniss waved around the room as Finnick made the other introductions. She sat on the love seat beside Peeta. It was the only spot available.

"So, this is a setup." Peeta said as the conversation continued around them.

"I guess." Katniss had rehearsed what she would say a million times since she accepted the invitation; she wasn't about to give this guy any false pretenses. "I don't date. I'm new to town. I only agreed to come so I could make some friends. I tried to tell Annie, but…"

Fortunately, Peeta's face relaxed in relief. "Oh, thank god. I love Annie, but she thinks I'm lonely without a girlfriend. I am far from it. I can always use more friends, though."

Katniss smiled and felt the tension fall a little from her shoulders.

"Hey, y'all, come and eat!" Annie called from the kitchen.

The rest of the crowd buzzed with familiar chatter as they moved around the island. Annie had made a large pot of chili, cut up all manner of vegetables, and grated cheese. She had also sat out tubs of sour cream and salsas and bowls of chips. It was a massive spread. As they compiled their chili and preferred toppings, Peeta squeezed in beside Katniss.

Over the din, Peeta asked, "So, you're the volleyball coach at the high school?"

Katniss nodded. "Assistant coach, actually. I also teach PE."

"That must be fun." He waited beside her to finish assembling her bowl.

"It's a little stressful right now trying to get them to see me as an adult and not one of the kids. But it's coming along." She followed him to the table. She nodded toward Finnick. "He put the fear of God into them, though."

Finnick laughed as he sat pitchers of tea and lemonade on the table. "I do what I can. Let me know if I need to have another talk with any of them."

Katniss laughed. "Don't worry, I will. After that last talking-to, they jumped whenever I just mentioned your name." She poured herself a cup of lemonade.

Finnick laughed again. "They better."

They all found seats and Katniss turned to Peeta. "And what do you do?"

"I decorate cakes." Peeta smiled proudly.

"Like in a bakery or at a grocery store?"

"Neither, I own my own business." He stirred the contents of his bowl. "Run it out of my house. Riley gets a little frustrated sometimes but, we make it work."

Katniss took a sip of her lemonade and asked, "Riley's your…?" She couldn't remember if Annie had said he had a son or daughter and Riley could go either way.

"My son, yes." He smiled proudly and it looked for a moment like he was about to reach for his phone, but he decided against it. "He's six."

"Wow, six. Is that first grade?" Katniss started figuring up in her head. If his son was six and he was barely in his twenties… Did it matter that the boy was born when his father was still a teenager? No, she decided. Her mom was barely out of high school when _she_ was born, after all.

"Yep. And he's really smart. I don't know where he gets it." Peeta laughed. He turned when Annie called his name.

"What was that song that your dad used to sing all the time?" Annie asked.

Peeta shrugged. "He sings a lot. You're going to have to give me a bit more than that."

"The one about all the ex-girlfriends who live in like Texas."

"That's the song." Peeta tried to turn back to Katniss.

Annie cut him off. "What is?"

" _That_ is." Peeta said.

"Yeah, that's what I'm asking. What is the song?"

"Who's on first?" Katniss mumbled, remembering that old comedy skit her dad had introduced her to when she was a kid.

Peeta snorted at her comment and then spoke to Annie. "All My Ex's Live in Texas."

Katniss knew that song and, to help Annie out a bit, started to sing softly, " _All my ex's live in Texas. And Texas is the place I'd dearly love to be. But all my ex's live in Texas. That's why I hang my hat in Tennessee._ "

The table was quiet as she finished the lyrics.

Annie pointed. "That's the one." She turned back to Wiress.

Katniss didn't hear the explanation for asking about the song because blood was pounding in her ears.

She glanced up to see Peeta was looking at her like she was a full moon on a clear night. That was how her mom always described her dad's gaze when they'd first started dating. Katniss was uncomfortable with his scrutiny and turned to her chili for several silent bites.

"Annie learned this chili recipe from my dad." Peeta said after a while. "She always gets it the closest to his. Mine is always just a little off. But no less delicious."

"Your dad?" Katniss was confused. Had she missed something?

"Annie's my stepsister," Peeta explained. "Her mom and my dad got married when I was ten. Annie was fourteen."

Katniss nodded. She was finding out a lot about him, but she hadn't volunteered anything yet. She smiled. "I have a younger sister. She's in her second year of college."

"Oh, really? What's she studying?" He seemed genuinely interested.

"Pre-med. She's wanted to be a doctor since she was a kid." She smiled proudly. "Our mom is a nurse practitioner. She's taking her last few hours of classes to become a doctor too, actually."

"That's awesome! And what does your dad do?" He asked, so excited to learn more.

Katniss looked back down at her bowl. "He worked in a chicken plant."

There was a soft, "Oh." So Peeta caught the past tense. "I'm sorry."

She shrugged. "I don't like talking about it. What about your dad? What does he do?"

"He owns a bakery." Peeta slid into the change of subject easily. "He taught me about cake decorating."

"So why don't you decorate in his bakery?"

"It's a long and boring story that I will tell you another time."

Katniss was a little surprised that he was already planning on seeing her again. She liked his personality, though, and was ready to find out more about him. He seemed like he would be a really good friend.

Johanna asked Peeta about decorating a cake for her and Cressida's anniversary and Katniss decided to eat the rest of her dinner while the group talked around her.

* * *

Peeta had decided Katniss was the prettiest woman he had seen when she walked in the door. Hearing her sing that song just sent him over the edge. He was in love. But he'd promised to be her friend and nothing more. So he would gladly give her that.

They talked off and on for the rest of the evening. She seemed to grow quieter as time wore on. She stood around nine and announced she was leaving.

Peeta followed her to the door, waving Annie away as he did. "Would you like to eat at the best diner in town?"

Katniss laughed. "Sure. I need to find the gems this place has to offer. Where the locals hang."

He smiled. "What about next Saturday?"

"Saturday works. But the afternoon. I have archery practice for a bit in the morning."

"Archery? You're full of surprises." He took out his phone and handed it over for her to enter her phone and she did the same.

"I'm meeting with a new coach I found here. I qualified for a state competition, but my old coach won't travel this far." She passed his phone back. "I can tell you more when I see you next week."

Peeta grinned. "I can't wait." He stuck his phone in his pocket. "I can show you around downtown a bit, too. If you want."

"That sounds good. Thanks!" Katniss waved to the rest of the room and then headed out the door.

Beetee and Wiress left a couple minutes later.

Peeta rubbed the back of his neck. "Want me to get your kids and bring them back?"

"Yes, please." Annie said as she looked around the mess of her kitchen.

"You sit down." Johanna told her sister-in-law. "We'll do cleanup while Peeta goes to get kids."

"Deal!" Annie plopped down on the couch and picked up the remote.

"I'll be back." Peeta called as he backed out of the front door.

He thought about Katniss for the whole ride. There was a bit of sadness in her that matched him. He hoped he could make it better for both of them.

Cara ushered Peeta into the house attached to the bakery. Conrad was half asleep on the couch while all four kids still ran around the living room. Riley ran over as soon as he saw his father and attacked him for a hug.

"Hey, kiddo." Peeta gave him a pat on the back. "Did you have fun?"

"Grandma let us make cookies." Riley grinned. "And we had pizza. Grandpa made it."

Brendan, Maggie, and Pearl all looked toward the door.

"I'm going to bring you three home." Peeta explained. He clapped his father on the shoulder. "We appreciate your help, Dad."

"No problem." Conrad grinned. "We don't mind it at all."

"Shoes, guys." Peeta told the kids.

As soon as the kids wandered away to find their shoes, Cara asked, "So did you meet this girl?"

"I did." Peeta laughed. "Her name is Katniss. We're going to hang out for a bit next week. As friends."

"Need us to keep Riley?" Conrad asked.

"If you don't mind. I'm not going to be ready for them to meet for a while." Peeta was so grateful to have supportive parents. Peeta noticed his father wanted to say something. "What's wrong, Dad?"

"Glimmer…" Conrad glanced toward where the kids still clambered with shoes and toys. "She came by the bakery today. Says she's getting help."

"This isn't the first time she said that. I don't believe it." Peeta rubbed the back of his neck. "What else did she say?"

"That she's hired a lawyer."

"Shit." Peeta clamped his hand over his mouth. He took a deep breath and dropped his hand. "Okay. I'll figure it out in the morning."

"Whatever help you need, Peanut, we'll do it."

"Thanks, Dad." He accepted his father's hug and then ushered the kids out the door.

He'd have to hire his own lawyer. Judges usually favored mothers over fathers. But surely someone with a drug conviction and had been all but gone for the last four years would not be seen as more worthy than him. He did everything in his power to make sure his son was cared for every day and comforted when his mother's promises fell through.

Maggie called from the back seat, "Uncle Peeta, can Riley spend the night at our house?"

Peeta had to take a few breaths to make sure his voice wasn't shaky when he answered. "Not tonight, Mags. Another day."

"Aw, man." Riley grumbled.

"I tried, Riles," Maggie comforted. "I'm sorry."

"You were about to fall asleep a little ago anyway." Brendan pointed out as they came to a stop outside their house.

Peeta unloaded the younger girls and their booster seats from his car. "Stay put, Riley. We're going home."

Riley groaned and dropped his hands from fiddling with the clasp of the seatbelt.

"I'll be right back, bud." Peeta sat the booster seats just inside the door.

"You okay?" Annie asked when she saw his face.

"Glimmer." Peeta grumbled. "That bitch told Dad she hired a lawyer."

Annie heaved a sigh. "What can we do?"

Peeta shrugged. "I don't know yet. It depends on what she tries." He glanced toward the car. "She can't take him. She hasn't wanted him all this time."

"You've been the best father. You have sacrificed a lot. No judge will see that and take him from you." Annie squeezed his shoulder. "Get ahead of it and file for full custody. You have so many people that can testify on your behalf."

"That will be a better thing in the end, I guess." He gave Annie a hug and got in his car. Riley was sound asleep against the window. "I'll do all I can to keep you out of this, baby." He promised softly. He started the car and headed toward home.

* * *

 _Come visit me on Tumblr: hpfanonezillion or booksrockmyface_


	3. Chapter Three

_This one is a little shorter than the previous ones, but not much. No Everlark interaction, but I promise more next week. :) Can't wait to hear your thoughts._

 _Many thanks to my beta aihodineverlark!_

 _Thanks a bunch to my best friend and forever prereader writingbutunpublished!_

 _Happy reading!_

Chapter Three

During the last set of the junior varsity's first official game of the school year, Katniss took control of the coaching. The head coach had let her lead practice, but made her just watch the first scrimmage matches. With her tentative shouts of encouragement, they won the set and that won them the whole match.

After everything was put away and the girls got the last few notes for the next day's practice, Katniss went home and set up her targets. She promised herself at least three rounds of arrows every day, no matter what. It was late, but she needed to get her shots in.

Gale walked into the back yard just as she took a shot and called, "You need some pointers?"

Katniss laughed. "If I took pointers from you, I'd never even hit the target."

"Har-har." He leaned against the decorative pillar that held up the back deck awning.

She aimed at the target and hit in the second circle from center. "Well, I can't always be perfect." She gathered her arrows and then plopped down in a chair. "We won the match tonight."

"Congrats!" He held out his hand for a fist bump. "Off to a good start."

"You and Madge should come sometime. They're really exciting."

"We might." He sighed and rubbed his face. "Madge needs to get out a little. She's getting stir-crazy."

Katniss smiled. "Next match is Thursday at five."

"I'll ask her." Gale pointed a thumb toward his house as he lowered himself into a neighboring chair. "Madge always makes enough food for an army. You want to come eat?"

"Nah, I ate some concession stand nachos after the game." She watched her friend. They knew a lot about each other, but they hardly had serious talks. "How's the baby?"

He grinned and shrugged. "Good. Madge is nesting."

"Are you nervous?"

His smile faltered and he shrugged again. "Well, you know. My dad… I don't want to leave like he did."

"You know what took your dad. You know how to take care of yourself. Go to the doctor, try to keep healthy." She reached over and patted his hand. "You'll be around for this kid and any others you have."

"Thanks." He chewed his lip and glanced back and forth between her and his house.

It made Katniss nervous. "What?"

It took a few more fleeting glanced before Gale finally said, "Well, Madge wants news about your date."

Katniss laughed. "Madge does or you do?"

Gale shrugged. "We're both curious."

"Well, it wasn't a date." She picked at a bit of wood that was splintered on a nearby pillar. "I just met some people. One of them is single. We're going to be friends."

"Is he cute?" Madge called from the other yard.

Katniss laughed and called back, "I don't know." And she really didn't because she never really felt that sort of attraction. Sometimes she felt like she was missing out on something that was expected, but most of the time it wasn't a concern. It just wasn't her priority.

Gale chuckled. "It'll be good for you to have another friend around here."

"I'm not used to more than a couple friends," Katniss said thoughtfully. "I'll cook for you guys one of these days and tell you more, okay?"

Gale stood and stretched. "Sure thing."

She watched him leave and then went for another round of archery before bed.

* * *

Riley watched Peeta put his latest completed cake in the fridge.

"Can I decorate cakes when I grow up?" Riley asked.

Peeta ruffled his hair. "If you want. You can be whatever your heart desires."

"Can I be a football player?" Riley asked happily.

"You can try. Or be a coach like Uncle Finnick." Peeta tweaked Riley's nose. "Or you could stay home with your kids."

"Yuck! I don't want kids!" Riley ran toward the kitchen. "Are the cookies done yet?"

Peeta turned on the oven light and they both bent down in front of the oven. "What do you say?"

"They look gooey." Riley reached for the handle. "And that's my favorite!"

Peeta laughed and handed over an oven mitt. He reached in with another and they both put the cookie sheet on the stovetop. Two perfectly gooey chocolate chip cookies sat on it. "How about you go get into your pajamas and I'll get us some milk to go with the cookies?"

"Can we eat the cookies in my bed?" Riley asked. "And you can read me a story?"

Peeta pretended to consider. "I don't know…"

"You can read _Harry Potter_ if you want." Riley smiled, revealing his front loose tooth that was barely hanging there by the roots.

Peeta laughed. "You got yourself a deal." He watched the boy bounce away before he got the cookies and milk ready.

He'd had a long day. After he got Riley to school, Peeta started calling around to the lawyers he'd researched over the weekend. It was difficult to find one that didn't cost an arm and a leg. He knew there would be so many other expenses.

"Dad?" Riley bounced on his toes in the doorway. "I'm in my PJs."

"On my way, kiddo." Peeta picked up the mugs of milk with a cookie balanced on top of each. He followed Riley toward the back of the house.

"Dad, are you happy?" Riley asked. His words seemed random, but Peeta knew the way his son's mind worked. He'd obviously been watching his father all evening and mulling this thought over.

"I am very happy." Peeta sat their food on the bedside table and pulled the blanket up. He settled in beside Riley and passed him his bedtime snack. "Why do you ask?"

"Because you look like you're not." Riley dipped his cookie into his milk and took a bite.

Peeta had been trying to think of how to talk to Riley about what was going on. He knew he couldn't keep it from him, that wouldn't be fair. "Some stuff is happening with your mom. It might change some things eventually. But it's for me to worry about, not you."

Riley wiggled his loose tooth with this tongue. "Is it because she's still sick?"

Peeta combed his fingers through Riley's hair. "Yeah, that's part of it."

Riley finished his cookie and sat quietly.

"What are you thinking, kiddo?" Peeta sat both of their cups off to the side.

"When Mom was at my birthday, she said she wanted to see me more," Riley spoke slowly, "when she got better."

Peeta sighed. "She told Grandpa she got some help."

Riley looked up at Peeta. "Did she tell _you_?"

Peeta shook his head. "It's hard to believe someone's promises when they don't keep them. And she knows I don't believe her anymore."

"But it was my wish for my birthday." Riley sniffed and a small tear fell from his eye.

Peeta pulled his son into a hug. "I know, Riles."

Riley pressed his face into his father's chest. "Is she sick because I'm bad?"

Peeta held him away and put a finger under his chin. "No, baby. Your mom is sick because of something in her mind and her body. You have nothing at all to do with what's making her sick."

"You promise?" Peeta hated having to hear the uncertainty in Riley's voice.

"I promise." Peeta kissed Riley's forehead. "Ready for me to read for a bit?"

Riley nodded and rested his head on the pillow, pulling his blanket all the way to his shoulders and folded his arms over the top. "I'm ready now."

Peeta started reading softly. They had started the first _Harry Potter_ book. It wasn't an immediate favorite for Riley, but Peeta continued to read it off and on and he was slowly coming around.

Riley was asleep before Peeta finished reading an entire page. Peeta pressed a kiss to Riley's forehead and left the room on quiet feet.

Peeta went to work on the papers he had to fill out for his petition of full custody. He really should have done this long ago. Glimmer hadn't been around consistently since Riley was a baby, so he figured it would be pretty cut and dried.

His phone went off with his tone for Annie.

 **Tell me your bedtime was as hellacious as ours.**

Peeta laughed and typed out his response. **No can do. My son is an angel at bedtime.** He added the emoji of a man shrugging.

She sent him a thumbs-down emoji. **I hate you.**

 **Don't hate too much. I have paperwork to fill out that will keep me up an extra hour tonight.** He went back to the forms. He really did hit the jackpot with Riley. Other than being sluggish in the morning, Riley was a pretty easy-going kid.

Annie asked, **The papers for custody?**

 **Yeah. It's more tedious than anything.** He sighed and rubbed his eyes. He had been awake for far too long.

He picked his phone up when it went off again. **Let us know if you need anything. Even if you need to vent about that bitch.**

 **Thank you.** He sent along a kiss face emoji.

Peeta won the jackpot with the rest of his family, too.

Annie continued to text, but Peeta ignored the next couple tones. **Finnick told me Katniss was very happy to talk about you.**

 **Of course, knowing my husband, he's the one who brought you up.**

 **And probably prodded her until she talked.**

 **So when is your date?**

Peeta laughed. **Good to know, but it's not a date. We're just going to hang out. She wants a friend.**

 **Whatever you say…** Annie sent a winking face.

He plugged his phone in so he could ignore any more of his sister's goading. Then he finished filling out the papers and set them aside for filing the next day. The quicker he dealt with this, the better.

Peeta rubbed his face and headed for the back of the house to check on his son. Riley wasn't in his bed. A quick search revealed that he'd climbed into Peeta's. Peeta smiled. It was getting rarer that his son felt the need to get into bed with him in the middle of the night, so he welcomed it every time it happened.

Peeta changed for bed and then got under the blanket. He smoothed back Riley's hair from his forehead.

"Daddy," Riley mumbled as he snuggled into Peeta's side.

Peeta whispered, "I love you so much."

When Glimmer had told Peeta she was pregnant, he didn't want to take the responsibility. He was just a kid himself. And there were plans to go to college with a wrestling scholarship. He was going to be an artist and help out in the bakery when he needed some money. A kid wasn't part of that.

Now, six years later, Peeta wouldn't have it any other way. And he hoped one day he wouldn't have to do it all alone.


	4. Chapter Four

_Author's note: Sorry it's been a while. Life got in the way for both my beta and myself. Hope this long and lovely chapter makes up for it. Can't wait to hear your thoughts!_

 _Thanks a ton to my beta aihodineverlark and my forever prereader writingbutunpublished. Both of these ladies are great writers themselves, so go check them out!_

 _Happy reading!_

Chapter Four

Riley crossed his arms and glared at his father. "Why can't _I_ go?" He whined. "I like HOB."

"I didn't mean for you to hear that I was going to HOB." Peeta rubbed the back of his neck. "I just want to hang out with my new friend for a while."

"I hate you, Dad!" Riley stomped off to his room.

Peeta heard the door slam and heaved a sigh. _Is he six or sixteen?_ "You're making me mad, Riley." Peeta called after him. "I need to get you to Grandma and Grandpa's."

"Let me come with you." Riley yelled.

Peeta was frustrated. Katniss was waiting for him.

He leaned against the wall beside the closed bedroom door. "Look, buddy, I can't take you with me. I just met this person and I don't trust them enough to bring you."

"Why not? Don't you love me?" Riley called through the door.

Peeta smiled to himself. "I love you bunches, Riles. And that's why I need you to go see your grandparents and let me go spend time with another grownup. Sometimes you need to take some space from the people you love. Especially when you're with them a lot. Like when you and Maggie start fighting after spending the weekend together."

After several long seconds, the door slowly opened. Riley peeked around the frame. "Will you bring me something?"

"A piece of lemon pie?" Peeta offered.

Riley shook his head.

"Fries?" Peeta asked with a grin.

Riley shook his head again. "I want a triple chocolate milkshake."

Peeta laughed. "I can do that." He held open his arms and Riley jumped up into them. "I want you to know something very important, baby."

Riley looked up at his father. "What?"

Peeta rested his forehead against Riley's. "You are the most important person in the world to me. And I love you so very much."

Riley wrapped his arms around Peeta's neck and kissed his cheek. "I love you, too, Daddy."

Peeta gave Riley one more squeeze and then sat him down. "Let's get going."

* * *

Riley still wasn't happy to be left behind, but Peeta managed to get out the door in just a couple minutes. He'd given Katniss directions to HOB earlier. It was how Riley figured out where they were going.

Katniss was already sitting in a booth sipping on a glass of water when he walked in. He waved at Delly as he walked toward where Katniss sat.

"You want a glass of tea, Peeta?" Delly asked as she handed him a menu.

"Yes, please." Peeta indicated the woman across the table. "This is Katniss."

Delly turned her smile toward Katniss. "It's lovely to actually meet you. You coach my little sister in volleyball. Lizzie Cartwright." Delly explained. "She just loves you."

"Right. She's got some great moves." Katniss glanced nervously toward Peeta.

Delly seemed to catch the look. "I'll give you guys some time to look over the menu."

As she walked away, Peeta said, "I'm sorry I'm late. Riley was being a pill."

Katniss laughed. "Is he a strong-willed kid?"

"Not most of the time. But when he doesn't want to do something, he won't." He laughed and turned the menu over. "They make good burgers here. Mine are better."

She looked toward him. "Well, you're going to have to prove that one." She went back to the menu. "What else is good?"

"They make good soups. The nachos are tasty. Catfish platter is one of my favorites." He grinned. "Everything, really. Riley and I come here about once a week. I've had it all at least once."

Delly came back and Katniss decided on a cheeseburger with the works and some sweet potato fries. Peeta got the catfish platter.

There was a small silence after Delly walked away.

Peeta decided to break it. "What's your favorite color?"

Katniss laughed. "Favorite color?"

"Yeah," he leaned forward a bit. "We're going to be friends, so I need to know the important stuff."

She sat forward a little more. "Forest green. What's yours?"

"Sunset orange."

She nodded. "Favorite thing to do when you aren't decorating cakes?"

"Playing video games with Riley." His smile was full of pride. "And doing some art. Drawing and painting. Is archery your only extra pastime?"

"Mostly, yeah." She started fiddling with her straw wrapper. "My dad gave me my first bow when I was five. He declared I was a natural and set up targets in our back yard. I won a few youth competitions. But when my dad died, I stopped doing it for a while."

"Can I ask how he…?" He trailed off. He probably should have kept that thought to himself. It wasn't his business.

Katniss replied softly anyway, "It was an accident at the plant. I don't know all the details." She crumbled up the wrapped and took in a deep breath. She quickly changed the subject. "Annie mentioned you had other brothers."

Peeta could tell her father was a subject she avoided, so he made a note not to ask again. "Yes. Graham is the oldest, a couple years older than Annie, and Ryan is Annie's age. Annie and her mom came into our family after my parents had been divorced for about five or six years."

Katniss gave him an understanding look. She stretched the straw wrapper back out and attempted to flatten it. "What was it like getting a stepmom and a sister at all once?"

"It was pretty cool, actually." Peeta smiled. He pulled a pen out of his pocket and started doodling on a napkin. "Cara has always been so kind and loving. And we knew her and Annie pretty much all our lives. Ryan and Annie were on soccer teams together in elementary. And Annie would come over to play sometimes after school. So it was an easy transition."

Katniss returned his smile. "That's good."

She was so pretty he could hardly stand it. _Keep it cool, Peeta._ He continued to sketch Riley playing with his toy airplanes.

Their food arrived. "Everything okay over here?" Delly asked.

Peeta slipped the napkin and pen back into his pocket. "Tell Sae I'll kiss her if this is better than the last time."

Delly giggled. "Oh, I'll tell her." She took their cups to be refilled.

Peeta paused and breathed in the aroma of fried fish and hush puppies. They both took a bit to get their food settled and took some bites before conversation resumed.

Katniss asked, "You said you'd tell me about your cake business."

Peeta laughed. "Well, my dad learned baking from his dad. He opened a bakery, it's just a couple blocks from here." He took his new glass of tea from Delly and thanked her.

"Sae said to make sure you put on some chapstick." Delly said.

Peeta laughed and he could see Katniss smiling between them.

Peeta patted his pocket. "I'll have it ready."

Delly laughed as she walked away.

He took a sip and continued his story. "As I got older, he taught me how to decorate the cakes. My brothers and Annie and Cara helped with the baking and the selling. I just focused mainly on the cakes. The demand for the cakes got pretty high after a while. We were having trouble getting everything else baked along with the cakes. Dad didn't want to move or expand." He took a bite of his food. "Riley was about three and I decided I wanted to move out. So I suggested to Dad that I open up a cake business apart from the bakery. If I had my own ovens, I could meet the cake demand a lot easier. Dad agreed and helped me get a house and set it up."

"That's not a boring story." Katniss took a sip of water. "It must be exciting having your own business so young."

He smiled. "Yeah, I was only twenty when I opened it." He looked up to see something flash in her eyes. Was she doing the math? "Riley was born just before my senior year of high school." He admitted softly.

She nodded. "Must have been hard."

There was a lump in his throat as he answered, "It was." Most of the time when he told people that, they just showed pity. Katniss's voice was full of understanding. "But I wouldn't trade him for anything."

Katniss stirred one of her fries in the marshmallow sauce. "My parents got married when my mom was still in high school because she got pregnant with me. Her parents were very strict. I came into the world barely a month before the graduation ceremony."

Peeta never believed in fate until that very moment. It was with Katniss's understanding words that he felt, deep down, like this was right. If this was a date, it would make sense. Second and third and fourth dates played around in his mind. Movies and picnics and maybe bowling. But as his mind veered in that direction, he had to remind himself that it wasn't a date at all.

They were just friends. Right?

* * *

Katniss wasn't sure why she was opening up like this to Peeta. Maybe it was because she understood Riley's part of the equation. Parents that were still kids had a hard time in the world. And she remembered all the times when she was little and her mother just broke down or shut herself away in her room for hours.

Her dad always said she was sick and made excuses. It got worse after Prim was born and she had to go away for a while. Katniss knew now it was to mental health facility. Whatever they did there, her mom got better and started staying out of her room more. She went back to school and kept advancing her nursing degrees.

"We're getting too serious," Peeta said suddenly. "Tell me your favorite movie."

Katniss smiled, "The Mighty Ducks."

"No way! Mine too!" He laughed and started softly, "Quack, quack, quack." He tapped his fists on the table.

She joined in, getting a little louder until both of them were pounding on the table and everyone else in the diner was giving them dirty looks.

They broke into laughter.

"We'll have to do a marathon one of these days." Peeta suggested.

"Oh, definitely! I haven't watched them all in so long."

Peeta reached in his pocket. "Sorry, my phone is buzzing." He smiled and started typing. "I promised Riley I'd bring him a milkshake. He just sent, 'where is my milk shack?'" He put his phone away.

Katniss laughed. "We better hurry along."

"We don't have to." He took another bite and chewed thoughtfully. "What kind of music do you like?"

"Um, like folksy, mostly. Or slow jam sort of stuff. That's what Prim calls it. Adele and Ed Sheeran are a couple favorites."

"Country?" He asked, remembering how she sang the song at Annie and Finnick's.

"Yeah. But mostly stuff from the 90s. Not a fan of most of the newer stuff." She sipped her water. "What about you?"

"I'm really into The Wiggles these days."

She snorted. "So Riley chooses the music?"

He laughed. "Well, not always. But I do get down to some Fruit Salad." He giggled a moment. "We actually listed to a lot more Top 40. Riles is growing out of what he called baby music. He loves Taylor Swift. Has a giant crush."

"She's pretty good." She chewed a bit and tried to think of a good get-to-know-you question. "Do you cook anything other than cakes?"

"Oh, yeah, I love to make big meals."

"Does Riley help?"

Peeta had a grateful look on his face when she asked. "He loves to help. Sometimes he says he wants to be a chef when he grows up."

"Your family could open a restaurant then." Katniss grinned.

"We definitely could." He chuckled. "What about you? Do you cook?"

"I do, quite a bit." She picked at the last of her food. "After my dad died, my mom started working extra on top of her school. So she was gone a lot. I learned a lot of recipes so I could feed me and Prim more than ramen noodles and frozen pizza." Katniss looked at her plate. "I'm almost done here."

His face fell as he looked at his own empty plate. "Same here." He waved Delly over and ordered a triple chocolate milkshake to go.

"I'll get it going." She cleared the empty dishes. "Separate checks?"

"Yes, please." Katniss said quickly. She wasn't sure if Peeta was going to try to pay for her. When Delly walked away, she asked, "Do you like volleyball?"

"I've never really watched it." He swept some crumbs into his hand and dumped them on a crumpled napkin.

"There's a match tomorrow night if you and Riley want to come."

"What time?"

"It starts at five." She reached into her wallet and pulled out the pass she'd picked up the day before. "That'll get you in for one dollar. Students of all ages are free."

"Thanks." Peeta put the pass in his pocket. "We'll be there. It'll get us out of the house."

Delly came back with the checks and the milkshake.

They paid their bills and then headed outside. Peeta took a sip of Riley's milkshake and leaned against an older model SUV.

Katniss smoothed a hand over her hair. "I've been promising my neighbors I would cook for them one evening because they are always inviting me over to their place. I never can get it together. But this weekend, I'm determined to get my grill out. Would you like to come? You and Riley? I've invited Annie and Finnick's crew."

"Sounds good, yeah." He reached for his phone as it went off again. "This kid is relentless." He typed out a text and put his phone away. "We'll see you at the match tomorrow."

"Fantastic!" She backed toward her car. "I'll text you my address and a time for the cookout."

Peeta waved and got in his car.

Katniss turned and found hers. She congratulated herself for organizing the cookout for the next weekend. Prim had always been the one that hosted parties when they were still at home. But she knew that she needed to nurture her new friendships. She had never been very good with it in the past. It had lost her years of time with Gale.

Prim was lounging on the couch when Katniss got home. "Just making yourself comfortable, I see." Katniss said.

"Should I just treat your house like a laundromat?" Prim grinned.

Katniss laughed. "Well, it's the only reason for your visit."

"It wasn't. Just cheaper to wash all my clothes here." Prim patted the couch beside her. "So how was the date?"

"Not a date." Katniss sat her archery bag down by the door. "Just having a late lunch with a friend."

Prim skewered Katniss with a hard look. "Just as long as you're both on the same page."

"We are." Katniss pushed Prim's feet off the couch and took a seat. "It's just…"

"What?" Prim prodded.

Katniss curled into the side of the couch. "What if he decides he doesn't want to be just my friend?"

"Have you talked to him about that?"

Katniss shrugged. "We have a little. But should it be a larger conversation? I'm not good with this whole business. Gale and I were friends and then he got mad that I didn't take his cues that he liked me."

Prim laughed. "You were teenagers, Katniss."

"Well, Peeta and I are adults."

Prim started thoughtfully twirling a bit of hair around her finger. "Then I think you two need to talk. If you aren't attracted or in any way interested in anything romantic, then he needs to be completely aware of it. That way he won't be upset later on if he makes an advance and you shoot him down."

"I don't think Peeta's the kind of guy that would do anything drastic."

"Yeah, but he could still break off your friendship." Prim pointed out. "You don't want that."

Katniss nodded and leaned her head on her hand. "I told him about Mom. Not the depression stuff, but that I was born when she was so young. He told me his son was born when he was in high school."

"You said you suspected that." Prim smiled at Katniss. "I'm glad you're meeting new people, Kat. It's good for you."

"Well, I'm glad you still come around so I don't have to meet too many new people." Katniss reached for the remote. "Are we ready for more _Sense8_?"

Prim popped up. "Let me get my laundry switched around first."

Katniss put the remote back on the table. "In that case, I'll get the hot chocolate and popcorn."


	5. Chapter Five

_Author's note: Get ready for Katniss and Riley to meet! I have no idea about how volleyball works, so I only used what I have found on Google. If you know the sport and I have misrepresented it, please correct me. Same goes for any of the situations I present in this story._

 _Many thanks to my beta aihodineverlark._

 _Thanks a million to my bestie and prereader writingbutunpublished._

 _Happy reading!_

Chapter Five

Over the next few days, Katniss and Peeta exchanged a few texts. Mostly they talked about small things, getting to know each other's likes and dislikes. Katniss found out Peeta's art was mostly sketches of Riley and the world around. But only when he wasn't exhausted from decorating cakes all day. And Katniss told Peeta she had a double degree in physical education and business management. She decided not to tell him her dream of opening a summer camp. That was a conversation for when they knew each other better. Gale didn't even know all of her plans there.

Monday evening, Katniss got a text from Peeta just before she put her phone away for the game. **High school gym?**

She quickly responded, **Yes. Finnick said they might come.**

 **Annie just sent me a text asking where we are. Lol. Good luck!** He sent a thumbs up emoji. Katniss didn't use those silly things, but it made her smile anyway.

The head coach was a woman in her late sixties named Mags Johansson. She was very harsh sometimes, but only when she knew the girls could do better. Katniss had also just learned Mags was Finnick's grandmother.

Mags clapped her hands. "Okay, girls! Let's get out there and kick some butt!"

The girls cheered and hurried out to the gym floor. Mags and Katniss followed.

Katniss glanced up in the stands during the warm-up and caught sight of Peeta and a small boy that was a carbon copy if him with the floppy ashy blonde curls. The pair sat with Finnick and Annie and their brood. Peeta saw her looking and gave a small wave. She smiled and waved back.

The National Anthem played and then the teams took the court. Katniss sat back through most of the first set. The District Twelve Mockingjays won easily with a score of 25 to 20. Katniss coached second set and opponents, District Four Mutts, won very narrowly, 23 to 25. The final set was a complete loss for the Mockingjays: 2 to 15. The Mutts won the whole match.

In the locker room, Mags talked very softly about how disappointed she was. Katniss could feel the despair coming from the girls in the room. Mags being quiet was worse than Mags yelling.

"We'll just watch the tape tomorrow," Mags concluded, "and figure out where we went wrong."

She sent them on their way.

Katniss followed Mags out to the court to finish breaking down the equipment. She saw Peeta was still with Finnick and Annie in the stands. Four kids ran up and down the bleachers.

"Those kids are going to fall." Mags pointed out as the last of the things were locked away. She walked over to the bottom stairs and called to them.

"Granny!" The girls exclaimed and hurried down to hug the older woman. Brendan came too, but was a little more sedate.

The adults followed. Pleasantries were exchanged.

Peeta tugged on the blonde boy's hand. "Come here."

Katniss felt nervous. Why was she nervous? She didn't feel like this when she met the Odair kids.

"Riley, this is Katniss." Peeta said, patting the boy's shoulder.

Katniss smiled and dropped into a crouch in front of him. She held out her hand. "Your dad has told me so much about you."

Riley shook her hand. "Nice to meet you, Katniss."

Katniss smiled and stood. "Did you guys eat supper yet?"

"Not yet, no." Peeta ruffled Riley's hair. "Someone convinced me we need to go to HOB for burgers and fries. Wanna come with us?"

"Sure." She looked toward the Odairs and opened her mouth to call, but Peeta seemed to read her thoughts.

"They're coming too, I think." Peeta turned and called, "My kid's starving. What about yours?"

Finnick laughed. "I think Brendan is going to pass out if he doesn't eat soon. Granny, you want to come get something with us?"

Mags nodded. "I'll be right behind you."

They walked out the door together. Peeta put his hand on Katniss's shoulder.

She stopped walking.

Peeta dropped his hand and pointed across the empty parking lot. "We're over there."

Katniss nodded. "See you in a couple minutes." She walked the other direction.

* * *

Riley asked a million questions about volleyball on the way to the restaurant.

Peeta replied to every question with, "I have no idea, Riles, you'll have to ask Katniss."

"Can boys play volleyball?" Riley asked when they started to leave the car.

"Boys play volleyball in the Olympics, but most of the time it's only for girls in school." Peeta helped Riley out of his seat. "You want to try it?"

Riley shrugged and slipped his hand into Peeta's. "It looks like fun."

The waitress that greeted them at the door looked a little taken aback. They usually only had small groups in this diner, so finding the room to seat everyone took several minutes. The servers finally pushed several tables together in the center of the dining room. Katniss sat on the corner seat awkwardly. Peeta sat Riley across from her and took the seat at the very end.

"Sit by me, Maggie!" Riley called.

"Bestest friends forever." Finnick chuckled as he settled Maggie directly beside Riley and took the next seat.

Katniss and Annie, sitting beside each other, chatted a little about the match. Annie had played in school, so she enjoyed reliving her youth by seeing the team play and supporting Mags.

After their food was ordered, Riley asked Katniss, "Are you my dad's girlfriend?"

Katniss shook her head. "No, I'm just a friend. Would you like to be my friend, too?"

Riley thought a moment and then nodded. "Yes. I'd like to have a friend named Katniss."

"I'm glad." She smiled. "I've never had a friend named Riley. It's a nice name."

Riley grinned. "Dad said my mom picked it."

Peeta pressed a kiss to the side of his son's head. "It was her favorite name, she said. But I picked Joseph because it's my dad's middle name."

"I was named for Granny!" Maggie called from the other end of the table.

Pearl asked, "Where did my name come from?"

Annie combed her fingers through the girl's hair. "Well, your daddy always said you were precious like a pearl when you were growing in my belly. And we couldn't think of any better name for you once you were born."

"What about Brendan?" Riley asked.

"It was my dad's name." Finnick said. "And my granddad's."

"And yours." Brendan said proudly.

"And mine." Finnick grinned.

Katniss asked, "So why do you go by Finnick?"

"It's my middle name. My parents decided too many Brendans would get confusing. My mother put together her father and grandfather's names: Finn and Nicolas."

Their food arrived and everyone dug in. The kids still chattered down the table, but Riley looked at Katniss.

"My dad said I wasn't supposed to say your name is weird." Riley chewed on a fry.

Peeta opened his mouth to scold his son, but Katniss laughed.

"Yeah, it's not one other people have." Katniss took a sip of her water. "It's the name of a plant. My mom's name is Iris. And my dad was named Reed. So they named me Katniss and my sister is Primrose. We're a plant family." She smiled and Peeta had to take a sip of his tea to hide the longing sigh. She had a pretty smile.

"That's a nice name." Riley said. "Is she as pretty as you are?"

Peeta put a hand on Riley's shoulder. "How about you eat a bit, kiddo?"

Riley shoved another fry in his mouth. "So is she?"

"She's beautiful." Katniss said, a look of pride taking over her face. "I think she's a lot prettier than me."

Riley continued to ask Katniss questions. He had really taken to her. Honestly, Peeta was glad some of his constant questions were going to someone else for a while.

He watched Katniss, smiling and engaging in the conversation. She actually looked interested in what Riley had to say.

Peeta broke into their talk every so often, but he let his son and Katniss continue mostly uninterrupted. Peeta had never seen Riley take so easily to a woman before. Sometimes he wondered if Riley worried about hurting his mother's feelings by getting along with other women or if he resented her in some way.

All too soon, the meal was done and their plates were taken away.

"Daddy, can I have a milkshake?" Riley asked sweetly.

Peeta laughed and shook his head. "Kid, I already told you no milkshake today. It's late. We need to go home."

Riley crossed his arms over his chest. "I don't want to leave. Me and Katniss are talking still."

Katniss gave him a kind smile. "You'll see me Saturday." She looked to Peeta. "Right?"

Peeta nodded. "Yes, we're going to Katniss's house for a cookout."

Riley brightened. "Really?"

"Yes, really." Katniss nodded. "I'll have to get some games for you kids to play."

"Do you have a Playstation?" Riley asked.

"No, I don't. Sorry." Katniss handed over her credit card to the waitress passing out the bills. "But I have a basketball hoop attached to the side of the house and I've got some cards and Twister and some other stuff."

"I guess that will work." Riley hopped out of his seat and danced around a bit. "I have to pee." He ran off toward the bathroom.

Peeta laughed and turned toward Katniss. "Sorry he talked your ear off."

Katniss shrugged. "It's no big deal. I'm used to constant chatter. And he's really smart."

Peeta smiled proudly. "He is."

The waitress came back and passed back credit cards and change. Peeta felt his stomach falling down to the floor. This meant time with Katniss really was done for now.

Riley stepped out of the bathroom with his hands dripping wet. Peeta shook his head. He couldn't reach the paper towels. They all made their way outside. Everyone had parked close together.

"Granny Mags, are you coming to Katniss's house?" Riley asked as they milled around their cars.

"I was thinking about it." Mags said with an elusive grin.

"I hope you do." Katniss said. "I've heard about this chocolate cake of yours from you and Finnick for weeks. I was hoping to try it."

Mags smiled and patted her cheek. "I'll be there, dearie."

"Hey, Everdeen!" Finnick called from several feet away.

Katniss turned. "What?"

"Think fast!" He tossed something her direction.

Peeta could see her first instinct was to hit it away like a volleyball, but she managed to catch it.

She looked down and started laughing. "You have a serious problem." She popped a sugar cube into her mouth and shook her head.

Finnick passed out a few more from the container he always carried around in his pocket. He always said it was better than candy because there were no artificial colors or flavors.

"Where's mine?" Peeta asked, playing like he was upset when Finnick neglected to give him a sugar cube.

"Come and get it." Finnick sat one on the end of his tongue.

Riley and Mags giggled. Brendan rolled his eyes. To her credit, Katniss looked only a little shocked. She'd been around Finnick enough that she was used to his antics.

"No, thanks." Peeta laughed along with the kids.

"Your loss." Annie kissed her husband deeply and stepped away crunching on the sugar cube between her teeth.

They were more than a little disgusting sometimes for a couple who had been together since their early teens.

Riley lifted up his arms. "Daddy, I'm tired."

"Well, it's past your bedtime." Peeta lifted him up. "I have to get him home." He put a hand on Katniss's arm. "I'll text you later."

She looked down at his hand before she stepped away and nodded. "Okay." She waved to the others and got into her car.

Peeta got Riley into his seat and strapped in. He was asleep by the time Peeta got around to the other side.

* * *

Katniss opened up her text conversation with Peeta and stared at the empty message box. What could she say? She was really bad about that sort of thing. As she was trying to come up with something, a message slid in from him.

 **Riley was so tuckered out that I was able to transfer him from the car to his room with barely any stirring. Even changed him into his pjs. #win**

Katniss laughed. **The next game is Thursday if you need another sleep aid. Lol**

His reply came as she was settling into her bed to watch some TV before going to sleep. **I think talking with you wore him out. He likes you.**

Katniss smiled at her screen. **He's a good kid. I like him too.**

She really had liked meeting his son and hadn't minded all his stream of questions. He was very inquisitive and smart. He asked some very good questions about how volleyball works and if she liked videogames. And when she said she was an archer, he asked all sorts of questions about that.

A tone came through and Katniss picked it up expecting a message from Peeta, but it was from Finnick.

 **Peeta thinks you're cute.**

Katniss rolled her eyes. **We're high school teachers, not high schoolers.**

 **True, though. Nothing more attractive than someone giving your kid attention. Think about it.**

Katniss sighed. It wasn't worth a response. So what if Peeta thought she was cute. They were friends and he knew that.

Peeta's message came in. **I keep meaning to ask, what should we bring Saturday?**

Katniss tried to run through in her mind what everyone else said they would bring. Madge was making a salad, Mags was bringing the cake, Annie promised potato salad. **Would you mind terribly bringing some rolls?**

 **No problem! I have a great recipe.**

She hadn't really meant for him to _make_ rolls, but she wasn't going to argue if he was willing. **Awesome! Well, good night.** She plugged in her phone and turned off her TV and the bedside lamp.

Just as she was settling in, she got a text from Prim. "Wow, I'm popular tonight." She said to herself as she opened up the text.

 **How was the game?** Prim asked.

 **We lost. :( But I got to meet Peeta's son. He made the evening better.**

 **You met his son?** Prim asked. **Single parents don't let just anyone meet their kids.**

Katniss wasn't sure what that question meant. **Yeah.**

Prim replied, **Did you have that talk with him? About being just friends?**

 **Not yet. But he knows.**

 **OK**

Katniss looked at those two letters for several seconds before her reply. **You do know that sometimes single parents want to hang out with their kids and their friends at the same time.** She sent the message and rolled over to go to sleep. She almost gave up on her sister responding until her phone went off again.

 **You're my sister and I love you very much. I just know that sometimes you are so focused on keeping yourself on the right path that you can sometimes miss some social cues. It's why you and Gale almost had a falling. He was always dropping hints about his feelings and you never saw them. I don't know Peeta so I don't really know about him. But what I'm trying to say is, if you don't talk to him, you may not realize if he's trying to work up to something else.**

 **I love you, Prim, but I think you watch too many movies.** She put her phone on Do Not Disturb and rolled away from it.

Was Peeta really hoping for more? Even when she'd been so adamant about not wanting anything beyond friendship? Maybe Finnick and Prim were right. He'd touched her more than once the whole evening. She definitely needed to pull him aside and have a serious talk about their friendship. She was not looking into getting into anything romantic.


	6. Chapter Six

_Author's note: Goodness, it has been forever! I won NaNoWriMo and then I needed a break. I also read a massive book. But I'm back! And I hope to have more chapters of this up for you soon!_

 _Many thanks to my beta aihodineverlark! This story just wouldn't be the same without you!_

 _Thanks a ton to my bestie and forever prereader writingbutunpublished!_

 _Happy reading!_

Chapter Six

Riley jumped around the front room with a toy airplane while Peeta tried to get to a stopping point on the wedding cake he was decorating.

Peeta stretched his neck. "Riley, please don't run around in here."

Riley stopped for a moment and then went back to skipping around, flying the plane through the air.

"Seriously, Riles, I need you to chill." Peeta said, not looking up. "You might mess me up."

Riley ran to the other side of the room and Peeta exchanged one piping bag for another. He leaned close to the cake.

Riley darted over and bumped into Peeta's arm. The piping tip skidded up into the group of flowers Peeta had just finished creating.

"Damn it, Riley! I asked you to stop!" Peeta exclaimed as he surveyed the damage done by the decorating tip. He threw the piping bag onto the table. "You're six years old, Riley. I expect you to know how to listen."

"I'm sorry, Dad." Riley's eyes were glistening.

"Just saying sorry isn't going to cut it. You need to—" Peeta interrupted himself and looked at the clock. "We're going to leave in a few minutes. Get your shoes on and sit in the den. I'll come talk to you in a bit."

Riley sniffed and wiped his eyes. "Okay."

Peeta watched him sulk off to the back of the house. He turned to the cake and sighed. Giving it another look, he could see it wasn't too bad. The damaged bit could easily be scraped off and redone. But that was for another day.

He put the cake in the fridge and cleaned up the rest of his tools. He looked up as he finished to see Riley standing at the end of the hall expectantly.

"Is it bad?" Riley asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"No." Peeta crouched down and held out his arms.

Riley, moving a lot more slowly than before, stepped into them and squeezed Peeta's neck. "You're not mad?"

"I am mad that I have to go back and do more work than I expected. And frustrated that you didn't listen to me and messed up my work. But I can fix it. This time, at least." Peeta held Riley away. "This is my job, Riley. I'm so happy I get to work in our home and spend time with you. But that doesn't mean my work room is your play room. Okay?"

"Okay." Riley threw his arms around Peeta again. "I'm sorry, Daddy."

"Apology accepted." Peeta stood and picked Riley up as he went. "Are you ready to go see your cousins?"

"Yes!" Riley squealed.

Peeta picked up the bag of rolls he'd made that morning from beside the door. He sat Riley on the ground and locked up the house.

When they were in the car, Riley asked, "Is Katniss going to be your girlfriend?"

Peeta laughed. "No, she's not going to be anything more than my friend." _If it did happen down the line it wouldn't be bad, though._ Peeta pushed that thought away. _We're friends, that's it._

When Katniss had given Peeta her address he knew exactly where it was located. He agonized over whether he should tell her or not. Peeta hoped that Riley wouldn't be paying enough attention as they passed a familiar house.

"Hey, Grandma is outside in her garden." Riley said from the backseat.

 _So much for that._ "Oh, cool." Peeta said stiffly.

Peeta glanced over and saw Glimmer's mother was bent over in her prize flower garden. He saw Glimmer step outside in the rearview mirror. Peeta pulled into a house a few doors down and sat there a moment before he got out. Had Riley seen his mother? Did they recognize his car?

Finnick met them out front with a concerned look. "Was she outside?" He asked, taking the bag of rolls from Peeta.

"Her mother was." Peeta kept his voice soft and ushered Riley straight to the back, ignoring his question about walking over to see his grandmother.

Katniss smiled and waved from behind the grill. "Glad you made it!"

"My grandma Roberts is your neighbor." Riley happily announced.

Katniss gave Peeta a confused look before turning to Riley with a kind smile. "I've got a lot of really cool neighbors. I'm sure I've met her."

A tall man with hair the same shade of brown as Katniss called from the next yard, "Yo, Catnip, Madge wants to know how much longer so she can throw together the salad." He looked like he could be her brother.

Katniss closed the lid of the grill and called back, "About fifteen more minutes, I think."

He gave Katniss a thumbs-up and went back in his house.

"Good," Finnick groaned. "I'm starving to death."

Katniss rolled her eyes. "You've eaten as many chips as your kids, Odair. Stop being melodramatic."

Peeta laughed. "I'm glad Finnick has finally met his match outside of the family."

"I don't put up with anyone's crap." Katniss grinned. She leaned down in front of Riley. "Your cousins are inside playing some games if you want to go in there. Or you can stay out here and play basketball. I got some jump ropes and hula hoops, too."

Riley looked around the yard and spotted some targets. "Is that where you shoot your arrows?"

"Yeah. That's not where I usually put them, though." Katniss glanced toward Peeta. "Maybe later I'll give you guys a demonstration."

"Can I shoot some?" Riley asked eagerly.

Katniss laughed. "Maybe another day. I don't have any safety tips around here. But if you're really interested, I'll have a talk with your dad." She ruffled his hair and he wandered off into the house where his cousins were gathered just inside with a twister mat out.

"His mom's parents are three houses that way." Peeta pointed in the opposite direction of where her friend had emerged.

"I'm sorry." Katniss said softly.

Peeta shook his head. "It's fine. He didn't see his mother, so I think he's okay for now."

"His mother is living there, too?" Katniss closed her mouth and shook her head. "Not my business. But if you need to go…"

"We can stay." Peeta gave her a smile, but there was so much he wanted to say and do. One of those things was go give Glimmer a piece of his mind. But he was here to have a good time, so he was going to ignore that she was just a few doors down.

Peeta took a cup from Annie as Katniss moved away to tend to the food on the grill.

"That bitch was sunning herself out in the front yard a few minutes ago." Annie sipped her soda. "I wasn't sure if you wanted me to text you or not."

"I should have gone around the other end. I knew what I was doing when I drove that way." He took a sip of his coke.

"I could go claw her eyes out." Annie offered.

Peeta snorted. "That wouldn't be a good thing." He watched Katniss as her neighbor and his wife came over. Her shoulders dropped and they bantered a little.

* * *

Gale bumped his shoulder against Katniss's. "That's the guy?"

"That's my newest friend, yes." Katniss sighed. She handed over the platter filled with chicken, burgers, and hot dogs. She probably made more than they would eat, but she would have lunch for the rest of the week if that was the case. "Time to eat." She called.

Katniss was happy to see Madge and Annie were chatting amiably as they worked together to fill plates for the kids. Peeta squatted down in front of Riley with a plate in his hand.

Riley said, "I want all of it."

"How about we just start with a little bit and you can get more later?" Peeta suggested.

Riley sighed. "Fine. A hot dog. And everything else."

Peeta chuckled and stood. He put small amounts of everything on the plate and handed it over for Riley to join his cousins in the living room.

The adults took their seats a short time later. Katniss took some time to gather herself. She was never good with this many people for so long.

"You okay?" Peeta asked softly.

Katniss smiled. "Yes, I'm fine."

"Sometimes Catnip gets overloaded around too many people." Gale explained. "Introvert problems."

Katniss snorted. "And you're no better."

"I am better because my wife got me out of my shell." Gale winked across the table to Madge.

His wife blushed and shrugged. "Have to face your demons."

"I'm hosting a party, aren't I?" Katniss smiled uncomfortably. She looked around at everyone. _How can I move this along?_

"I'm sorry Mags couldn't come." Katniss said.

Finnick nodded. "She's starting to slow down a bit. I've been telling her the last few years she should retire. But she just loves working so much."

"I completely understand." Katniss said. "I'll bring her a plate of leftovers for lunch Monday." She looked toward Madge. "So, Madge, did you ever decide if you're going to find out the gender?"

Madge gave Gale a hard look. "I want to, but Gale isn't sure yet."

Gale shrugged. "She's going to want to do the whole party thing and that's so overdone. We haven't even done the Facebook thing."

"Because you won't let me." Madge shot back.

Annie chuckled. "I have to keep _him_ from shouting it to the world every time it happens." She pointed at Finnick. "I wanted to keep it to ourselves a while."

Katniss looked to Peeta who was watching his son across the room.

"Did you want to find out?" Katniss asked Peeta quietly as the other four talked amongst themselves.

"She told me she was having a boy." Peeta looked back at his food. "I didn't even ask. It was the same time she told me she was pregnant. She was already nearly five months along." He looked up and smiled. "I was very excited to find out, though. Scared, but excited."

"It's super fucking scary. Every time." Finnick admitted.

"Hey, watch your language." Annie scolded. "Pearl told her teacher to fuck off yesterday."

"That's my girl." Finnick grinned.

Katniss hid a laugh and looked over to see Peeta was doing the same.

"It wouldn't be funny if you had to apologize to the teacher. She's a hard bitch." Annie bit her lip and stole a quick look toward the kids, but they all were laughing about something and they missed her slip-up. "She deserved it."

Katniss looked over and held the groan in at the food all over the floor where the kids were sitting. She'd taken up the rug for this very reason.

The conversation moved from the embarrassing things their kids said to other random topics. It was a pleasant afternoon.

Madge and Gale wandered home after the leftovers were doled out and put away. Finnick and Annie dragged their brood out the door a little later.

Peeta got Riley heading toward the door, but Riley stopped them. "Can Katniss show me some archery first?"

"We don't need to impose any more of Katniss's time—"

"I'd love to!" Katniss interrupted. "I need to practice anyway." She waved them toward the back of the house. She paused at the door. "As long as you don't mind, of course."

Peeta shook his head. "Don't mind."

Katniss nodded and walked out the back. She put her targets in place and then ran inside to get the bow and arrows she'd put away before all the kids arrived. She walked out the back again to find Gale and Madge were leaning over the fence talking to Peeta. Riley ran in circles around the yard.

"Ready to see me make some bullseyes?" Katniss asked, setting down her case and pulling out the bow.

Riley ran over and watched her put the string in place and pick up the arrows.

"Okay, you have to stand over there." Katniss pointed to the edge of the patio. "And stay there until I shoot all the arrows, okay?"

Riley nodded and stood exactly where Katniss pointed. She saw him bouncing on his toes in excitement, but he stayed put.

Katniss took her stance, aimed, and hit the outside edge of the target.

"Hey, even I can do better than that." Gale called.

"Just need to warm up." Katniss shook out her limbs and tried again. This time it went just right of center.

Riley clapped and cheered.

Katniss took the encouragement and shot her last three arrows. All three landed in the center circle.

The three adults clapped and Riley cheered. "Go again!" He shouted.

After sharing a look with Peeta, Katniss gathered her arrows and went again. This time she didn't miss a single one. She bowed to another round of applause.

"Can I try, please?" Riley asked.

Katniss shook her head. "Not today, kiddo. I don't have the right kind of bow or arrows for a beginner." She looked toward Peeta. "But I can get some from my mom's place if it's okay."

Peeta shrugged. "I guess we can let him try. If you don't mind."

"I'd be happy to." She started putting everything away while Riley watched intently.

"Can I hold your bow?" Riley asked.

Peeta waved to Madge and Gale and walked over. "We should head home."

"Could we, maybe, talk for a minute?" Katniss asked, handing her bow to Riley to have a look.

"Be very careful with that, Riley." Peeta warned.

"I will." Riley promised.

Katniss waited until Riley walked over to pretend to shoot arrows. She wasn't too concerned about the bow's condition after the boy was done playing with it. It was one she'd had for a years and it was starting to show its wear. She'd been planning on getting a new one for a while.

"What's up?" Peeta asked, keeping an eagle eye on his son.

"We're friends, right?" Katniss asked.

Peeta smiled. "Of course."

"Well, Finnick has said some things…" She twisted her fingers nervously.

He nodded. "I need a friend more than I need a girlfriend." He swallowed hard. "I mean, I do like you a lot. But I was burned pretty bad before and I don't think it's fair to any of us to move toward that on purpose."

"That's good to hear. I need to make sure we're on the same page." Katniss sighed. "I wasn't sure if you'd had some different conversation with Finnick."

"Finnick is constantly teasing about getting me married. I don't know what it is about these married people trying to pair me off." Peeta gave her a reassuring smile. "Want to come hang out with me and Riley next weekend? Watch some Mighty Ducks? Maybe play some video games?"

Katniss laughed. "That would be awesome." She glanced toward Riley. "Is everything okay with his mom?"

He shrugged. "I guess. I haven't heard anything else from her in a while. I'm moving forward with full custody. I don't know what's going to happen."

She nodded. "Well, let me know if you need a listening ear." She walked over and took the bow from Riley. "I'll call my mom and see if she can dig out my old bow and arrows. We'll get you started."

"Thank you!" Riley said, throwing his arms around her waist.

Katniss patted his back. "You're very welcome."

Peeta handed over his keys. "Here, bud, go get in the car and I'll be there in a minute."

Riley took the keys and skipped off.

"You don't have to teach him. But thank you."

Katniss shrugged. "It's kind of my goal. So good to start somewhere."

Peeta smiled. "Awesome. I'll text you later." He walked to his car.

Katniss watched them back out of the drive. She finished putting everything away. She should have asked Peeta if she should steer clear of her neighbor, especially until the custody case was settled.


	7. Chapter Seven

_Author's note: I apologize for the wait. I have been working on an original novel and doing a lot of reading. But I wrote this in October and my lovely beta aihodineverlark went over it months ago (Thanks a million!). It's just been sitting there not being edited. I have another chapter written and I will try very hard to get that one to you soon. And write on this some more in between the original stuff and the writing._

 _Also want to send a shout-out to writingbutunpublished for always reading over stuff for me._

 ** _Trigger warning: Glimmer appears in this chapter. She is a recovering drug addict and it is mentioned several times along with her absence in Riley's life as a result of her addiction._**

Chapter Seven

Katniss didn't want to go home, but she'd made a promise to Riley. And she really needed to see her mother for a while.

Iris opened the door as Katniss walked up. She smiled and held open her arms for a hug. Katniss only hesitated a moment before accepting the embrace. She and her mother were not very close, but Katniss still loved her.

"Come in. I was just taking a break from my studies. I'm assisting in a bunionectomy tomorrow." Iris walked into the kitchen where an anatomy book and a notebook were open. "Tea?" She filled the kettle with water and put it on the stove.

"Sure." Katniss got out the tin of tea and two mugs. "How is the surgery rotation going?"

"I like it, but I'm ready to get to the pediatrics already." Iris leaned against the counter. "How's coaching?"

Katniss shrugged. "Win some, lose some. We have a tournament close to here next Saturday. Do you have a shift?"

Iris put some loose tea into the infusers Prim had bought her for Mother's Day. They were shaped like people that hung on the side of the cups. "I'm doing the evening shift. I could probably make it for a little bit earlier in the day."

"It starts at nine in the morning." Katniss took out her phone and sent her mother a text with the school's address. "Prim said she'd try to make it too. Maybe we can sit together between matches."

The kettle started whistling and Iris poured some into each of their cups. "I'd like that. Will you have a break for lunch?"

"Not sure. It's my first tournament as a coach." Katniss took the cup her mom offered and dumped in some sugar and milk. "Did you have a chance to find the practice bow?"

"I looked in all the closets, but it wasn't anywhere. Probably in the crawl space. I don't like going up there when no one else is around." Iris sipped her tea and sat by her book again. "Are you going to do some archery coaching then?"

"I'm going to try a bit. This friend of mine has a little boy who was asking." Katniss took a sip of her tea and sat down across from her mom. "Want me to quiz you?"

"No, I think I have it. I'm just refreshing myself a bit." Iris sipped her tea. "Tell me about your friends."

Katniss smiled and started to name off every person she met and telling her a little about each of them. She went into the most detail about Peeta and Riley. She'd started texting with Peeta several times through the day. They'd been making plans for Katniss to give Riley his first archery lesson recently and planning how to hang out more.

After she was finished with her tea, Katniss got out the ladder and looked up in the crawl space above the garage. She had to look through a few boxes before she found the one that had what she was looking for.

She returned to the kitchen to find her mother had a pan on the stove with some rice and another with some vegetables frying.

"Can you stay for supper?" Iris asked. "I'm throwing together some chicken fried rice."

Katniss smiled and nodded. "I can stay." She sat the bow down by the door. "Do you want me to read your notes to you while you cook?"

"That would be great." Iris finished cutting up some chicken breasts and added it to the vegetables.

It was pretty late when Katniss drove home. But she decided that she could take a morning off. She deserved it.

* * *

Peeta stepped back from his latest creation and stretched out all his joints. He wasn't a big fan of working with all the fondant and sculpting, but it always looked cool.

His phone went off in the other room. "That means break time." He said to himself as he slid the cake from the table and transferred it into the fridge. Then he went in search of his phone.

It was a text from Katniss. **Went to my mom's last night and picked up my old practice bow. I can show Riley whenever you two want.**

Peeta smiled to himself. It was nice for Riley to have another woman in his life. And he knew she was familiar with his son's struggles in some way.

He wrote his reply. **Awesome! Riley's going to flip out. Still coming this weekend?**

Peeta saw it was just a little after ten. He was about to ask her how her day was going when she sent in her reply.

 **That's the plan.**

 **Good. Riley is ready to beat you in Mario Kart. Lol**

 **I'm pretty good at video games. FYI**

Peeta smiled and tapped out his reply. **I can't wait for more competition. I kinda suck, but I have fun.** He added. **Bring the bow and arrow. It'll be good to do something away from the video games.**

He went into the kitchen and took a cheese stick out of the fridge. He rolled his neck to loosen it as he sat down. He'd received papers from Glimmer earlier requesting visitation. Peeta didn't know how to respond to it. He didn't want to deprive her of her son, but he also didn't trust her alone with him.

He'd called his lawyer and she told him they would move forward with the custody battle.

"I do think you should give her some supervised visitation if she agrees to parenting classes." Portia had added. "It would probably help your case."

Peeta agreed, but he didn't really want it. Did it make him selfish?

 **So I took the morning off and I'm bored.** Katniss's next text said.

He smiled. **When are you going in? Want to get lunch?**

She replied quickly. **At 11:30. I found a good sandwich shop the other day. Want to meet?** She sent along the name of the restaurant.

 **I love that place! See you in a half hour?**

 **Sounds good.**

* * *

Peeta was unusually quiet as they sat down to eat. Katniss asked softly, "Something wrong?"

He took so long to answer she was about to change the subject, but he finally said, "Glimmer, Riley's mom, is requesting visitation."

Katniss had seen Glimmer running in the neighborhood. Her mother had been part of the welcoming committee of nosey neighbors. She'd been kind enough, but she was still suspicious of an outsider moving onto the street.

Peeta continued quietly, "She's a drug addict. I don't know if she's getting help, but my dad said it looked like it. And I heard through the grapevine that she was on the straight and narrow."

"Have you thought about talking to her?"

Peeta shook his head. "I don't know. We usually end up fighting. I did talk to my lawyer, though. She suggested allowing visitation as long as it's supervised and she goes to parenting classes."

Katniss chewed thoughtfully. "That's probably a good trade-off."

He shrugged. "Seeing her will make Riley happy. I think. He asks about her a lot more now."

"Does he know how she is?"

"He knows she's sick." He sipped his tea and sat back. "It's so hard being in this stage of life with him. He's smart and observant and constantly learning. And most of the time I'm still trying to figure out what I'm supposed to be doing." He sighed and pulled a pen from his pocket.

Katniss watched as he started drawing on a napkin. There was something in the vulnerability of the moment that struck an unfamiliar chord in her. Here, in the middle of this tiny restaurant surrounded by other people, Peeta had let a little bit of himself known to her that he'd held back. She wasn't sure what the feeling that accompanied that realization was, but it was a little scary.

"Is that a nervous habit of yours?" Katniss asked, indicating the drawing in front of Peeta.

He smiled and nodded. "I guess you could say that." He looked up. "Where does your mom live?"

"Seam. It's about three hours away."

"You made the trip in an evening?" Peeta looked surprised.

"It was the only chance I had." Katniss explained. She was trying to decipher his sketch, but also trying to be discreet. "She was off last night and there wasn't a volleyball practice. Didn't get in until late, though."

"So you decided to play hooky for a while?" He grinned. "Smart woman."

"I wasn't going to be a good coach for the morning classes." She laughed and leaned forward more to see that a face had started to take shape. Hers, she realized and blinked in surprise. "Wow, you're good."

He shrugged. "Took a lot of practice to get here." He gave her a half smile.

"And patience, I bet." She watched him draw for a while as she nibbled her food.

After a while, Peeta slid the napkin across the table to Katniss. "To put on your fridge." He grinned and put his pen away. "You don't want to be late for work."

"I guess." She wrinkled her nose and shoved the last bite of her sandwich in her mouth.

He laughed. "I think you'll survive."

"Barely. Teenagers are brutal."

They gathered their things and headed toward the door.

As they neared their cars, Katniss asked, "So what time should I come over Saturday?"

"You have practice?"

"I do. At nine for two hours." She leaned against her car.

Peeta nodded. "Want to come around one or two? I'll order pizza."

She smiled. "I'll be there."

* * *

Riley pressed his face to the window. "When is she getting here?" He whined for the millionth time.

Peeta laughed. "She has archery practice this morning, baby. She'll be here this afternoon."

Riley heaved a sigh and turned. "But I'm ready for video games."

"You never needed Katniss for video games before." Peeta went back to the cake. "Waiting there isn't going to make her get here any faster."

Riley groaned and looked out the window again.

Peeta shook his head. "You're going to be the end of me, Riley."

"You're going to be the end of _me_ , Dad." Riley groaned. "And so is Katniss."

"Someone has a crush." Peeta sang softly.

Riley glared in the window reflection. "I do not."

Peeta continued to work. Riley barely moved from the window except to stand at Peeta's elbow for a few minutes to watch his father placing small dots evenly over the wedding cake. The ceremony was that evening and he was almost done. Peeta put the finishing touches on it and then worked to box up the cake and sent a message to the person who would be picking up it up.

As he was hitting the send button, Riley let out a squeal and ran outside.

"Riley, you can't just run outside." Peeta followed and stopped short when he saw the blonde woman swaying back and forth with Riley in her arms. " _Glimmer_?"

Riley lifted his head and smiled happily. "Mom's here!"

"I see that." Peeta tried not to let the tension show in his voice. He looked behind her to see her mother was sitting in the driver's seat.

"You aren't answering my calls." Glimmer said. She put Riley down and he wrapped his arms around her. He still smiled.

"I blocked your number." Peeta didn't want to say too much in front of Riley. "We shouldn't talk without our lawyers."

"We're adults. Can't we make some choices together? Without having to pay legal counsel?" She nodded her head toward the car. "My mom said she'd be here to keep an eye on Riley."

Peeta pulled out his phone. "I have a client on the way to get a cake and we're going to have company soon."

"So give me five minutes." Glimmer begged. "Please, that's all I want."

Peeta took several moments to consider it. Finally, he nodded and waved everyone inside. "I have some cookies."

Riley whooped and pulled his mother inside. "Come see my room, Mom." He waited for Glimmer's mother, Martha, to get out of the car and walked toward the house.

"Riley sure is growing." Martha commented as they walked through the door.

"Yeah, he is." Peeta sighed. He could hear Riley excitedly showing Glimmer all sorts of things in his room. He was already ready for her to go.

"I was going to call and ask if Richard and I could take Riley out to lunch one of these days. But I knew you wouldn't want Glimmer there." Martha ground her teeth together. "She's gotten better."

Peeta restrained himself from badmouthing Glimmer to her mother. "I'm sure he would like some time with you and Richard. It's been a while since you did that."

Glimmer and Riley came back into the front room. Peeta indicated the cookies on the table. "Martha, help yourself to some cookies." He led Glimmer down the hall to the den. "Talk."

"I've been sober for three months. I went to rehab after Riley's birthday." She swallowed and dropped onto the couch. "I wanted to try to fix my mistakes."

"Well, fifteenth time's the charm, right?" He snapped.

She nodded. "I deserve that." She looked at her hands. "I tried stopping for you and for my parents and for Riley. But I had to stop for me, Peeta." She looked up. "I go to NA twice a week. I started seeing a therapist. And my lawyer told me all about your request for parenting classes. I'm going to do that. I found one that starts next week, actually." She gave him a pleading smile. "I'm giving every bit of me that I can, Peeta, please see that."

Peeta rubbed the back of his neck. "What do you want?"

"Time with my son. That's it." Glimmer said. "Can we start with an hour a week? My mom or dad can be with me."

Peeta's phone vibrated in his pocket and he checked it to find his client had arrived. "You're going to have to let me think about it." He walked out of the room.

He plastered on a smile to meet his client at the front door. Riley chattered on to his mother and grandmother in the background.

Once the man was gone, Glimmer stood from the kitchen table. "We'll be on our way."

Peeta was a little shocked she was the one who made the move to leave. Often Glimmer was clingy when she dropped in. Peeta had to ask her to go or someone else had to drag her away.

"Do you have to, Mama?" Riley had tears in his eyes and there was an uncharacteristic whine in his voice.

Glimmer smoothed her hand over Riley's hair. "Yeah, I do. But I hope we can see each other a lot more from now on."

"Riley, let's walk your grandma and mom outside." Peeta was relieved this visit was coming to an end. As soon as Katniss got here, it would be a much better day. Not that Glimmer was antagonistic this time. And at least it wasn't a year between visits.

Glimmer picked up Riley and carried him outside. Peeta watched from the porch as she swayed back and forth with him and murmured in his ear. She was probably telling him that she was going to see him more and more.

Katniss's car pulled into the driveway. She got out and greeted Martha. The pair chatted through the driver's side window of Martha's sleek SUV.

When she walked around the other side, Riley happily announced, "Katniss, this is my mama!"

Katniss gave Glimmer a kind smile. "Hello." They exchanged introductions.

Glimmer gave Riley a kiss on the cheek and then set him down. "I'll see you soon, baby." She climbed into her mother's SUV.

Riley waved happily until they were out of sight and then he turned and ran up on the porch to his father. "Dad, can I go see Mom at Grandma and Grandpa's house?"

"I don't know, kid." Peeta picked Riley up and held him in a tight embrace. This shouldn't make him feel so insecure, but it did. Was he going to lose Riley? Would his opinion of Glimmer ever change?

Katniss exchanged a concerned look with Peeta. She gave Riley a pat on the back and said, "Isn't someone supposed to kick my butt in Mario Kart today?"

Riley laughed and twisted around to look at Katniss. "Prepare to be demolished." He wiggled out of Peeta's grasp and ran into the house.

Peeta held open the door for Katniss and followed at a slower pace. He still had some things to clean up.

"Everything okay?" Katniss asked.

Peeta shrugged. He didn't want to burden Katniss with all this. But isn't that what he would do to Annie and Finnick? And hadn't they heard enough over the years?

"You don't have to talk about it," she said after his long silence, "but I'm here if you ever want to."

He felt a tightening in his throat.

Riley called from the back of the house, "The game is ready!"

"Be there in a minute." Peeta called back. He sniffed. "She comes back saying all the right things. But how long is it going to last? How long until I have to hold him all night while he cries for her because she broke another promise?" He rubbed angrily at his eyes to push away the tears threatening to fall. "He deserves a mother who wants to be around him."

Katniss gave his back an awkward pat before she dropped her hand. Peeta appreciated the effort from someone who wasn't receptive to his random touching. She wasn't that type of person, so it was comforting. And he desperately missed it the instant it was gone.

"Maybe she won't break the promises this time." She said softly. "You and Riley both deserve it."

"I can hope." Peeta waved her toward the back of the house. "Come on, I could use a distraction."


	8. Chapter Eight

_Author's note: So sorry this took so long to get to y'all. I have been struggling with motivation. But I have two more chapters ready to go and I will try to get them published in the next couple weeks._

 _I want to give a huge shoutout to my beta aihodineverlark for all she does._

 _And a gigantic thanks to my bestie and always prereader writingbutunpublished._

 **Trigger warning:** There is a mention of abortion and some more talk about Glimmer's drug use and absence.

Chapter Eight

A half hour into the game, Riley let out a triumphant cheer and did a victory dance. "Undefeated!"

Peeta reached out and grabbed him around the waist. Pulling him in, Peeta said, "No gloating." He dug his fingers into Riley's armpits. "Got it?"

Riley laughed high and clear. It was Peeta's favorite sound. "Got it!" He yelled around his giggles.

Peeta let Riley go and then turned to Katniss. "You ready for a break?"

Katniss smiled. "Yeah, I'm done getting my butt kicked for a few minutes."

Riley giggled again.

"He plays this game all the time. He's an expert." Peeta stood and stretched. "I'll order pizza, but there are cookies in the kitchen if you want something to eat right now."

"Cookies?" Katniss ruffled Riley's hair and asked him, "Did you help make them?"

"Dad made them when I was still sleeping, so I didn't get the chance." Riley wandered out of the den toward the front of the house.

Katniss followed. "You like to help your dad bake?"

Peeta made the order from an app on his phone – one pepperoni and one cheese – and listened in on the conversation.

"Yeah, it's fun." Riley hopped up on a chair and took a cookie off the plate. "Do you bake?"

"No, I don't. I tried a few times, but I always burn things. I do cook other things pretty well." Katniss picked up a cookie and broke it in half. She smiled. "Perfectly soft."

"I like mine mushy, too." Riley grinned. "Dad likes them crunchy."

"I like peanut butter cookies crunchy," Peeta said as he finished the order. "Everything else should be a little moist."

Katniss made a face.

"What?" Peeta laughed. "You don't like the word _moist_?"

Katniss cringed again. "I don't. It's gross."

"I'll try not to say it in front of you again." Peeta took a seat and picked up a cookie. "Pizza should be here in thirty minutes."

"Then we can go another round of Mario Kart." Katniss grinned at Riley.

"Haven't learned your lesson yet, huh?" Peeta asked.

"I think I know where I went wrong the last time." Katniss finished her cookie and picked up another. "What do you say, Riley?"

A slow smile spread across Riley's lips. "Ready to fail again?"

Katniss laughed. "We'll see this time around."

"Last one there's a rotten egg." Riley stood and dashed to the back of the house.

"I can at least win a foot race." Katniss moved after him on quick feet.

Peeta watched them disappear before he followed. Riley was such a joy already, but Katniss was bringing out something in him that Peeta rarely saw. And Peeta noticed that Katniss was very playful when there were fewer people around. She made jokes and laughed at the jokes he and Riley made.

They were already arguing over their characters when Peeta walked in. He leaned against the door frame and watched them. Riley trash-talked and Katniss laughed it off. Peeta took some pictures of them on his phone and then sat down to watch the last of the race.

"No!" Riley screamed when he lost control of his vehicle and crashed.

Katniss, playing as Toad, zoomed over the finish line and threw her hands up in the air. "Finally!"

Peeta applauded. "Good job, Katniss."

Riley crossed his arms over his chest.

Katniss draped an arm over his shoulders. "You're a great player, you know that?"

"Thanks." Riley leaned into Katniss. It made Peeta a little jealous that she was more able to give his son comfort than he was. But Peeta supposed kids were less intimidating to Katniss than adults.

* * *

Katniss was having so much fun with Riley and Peeta that the afternoon slipped into the evening before she realized it.

Peeta looked at the clock and sighed. "It's time for bed, Riles."

"Do I have to?" Riley whined. "Katniss said I could try the bow again."

"It's late and you're tired." Peeta pointed. "Go change into PJs."

Riley groaned and dragged his feet into the other room.

Katniss stood. "I'll head out—"

"Please don't." Peeta interrupted. "Let me get him to sleep and then we can have some adult conversation."

She nodded. "Okay."

Peeta went to check on Riley's progress and Katniss started picking up the room. Some of the clutter had been here when she arrived, but she didn't figure Peeta would mind if she made neat piles of the toys and folded the throw blankets.

"You didn't have to do that." Peeta said when he came back in.

"I didn't want to just sit here waiting." She chewed her lip.

He looked around the room. "I don't think it's been this clean since we moved in," he joked.

She laughed. "I'm sure that's not the case."

"You want more soda?" Peeta asked, picking up his glass from the table.

"I wouldn't mind water."

He nodded his head toward the kitchen. "Follow me." They walked together to the other end of the house.

"So is she back?" Katniss asked softly. "Glimmer, I mean."

"For now." Peeta shrugged. "She says she's sober."

"You don't believe her?"

"I don't know what to believe." His voice was quiet when he said, "Glimmer never wanted him. Not really." He poured them each a glass of water. He sat down at the kitchen table and she followed. "She'd talked about getting an abortion at first, but her parents guilted her out of it."

"What did you want?" Katniss sat across from him.

He shrugged. "I didn't really know. I was in too much shock." He used his thumbnail to dig into a crack on the table. "She played mommy long enough for everyone to ooh and ah over her precious baby and then she got bored. She started partying and she dumped him on her parents and me more and more." He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She heard the shake. "I had a scholarship. I was going to college. But staying in my son's life became more important."

She wasn't sure what to say. She took a sip of her water.

He smiled solemnly. "I'm sorry, I know this is a lot."

"No. I mean, yes, it is. But I don't mind and I appreciate that you told me." She looked down at her hands. "Would you go to college now?"

"There's no point." Peeta leaned his head on his hand. "I was going to be an art major and then come back and work for my dad."

"And now you own a business." Katniss mirrored his position. "So what's next? With Glimmer?"

"I don't know." He got up and rummaged in a drawer a moment. He sat down with a sketchbook and a pencil. "He deserves a relationship, I guess. Especially if she's clean."

She watched him as he started drawing. "Definitely a nervous habit."

He grinned. "Helps me think."

She watched him silently for a while and then asked, "What if you make the first few visits here with you around?"

"That would at least make me feel better." The pencil scratched away on the paper. "Do you think I'm selfish for not wanting her around him at all?"

She leaned forward. "He's been just yours for so long. It's what you're used to. Change is hard. I don't call that selfish, I call that being a good dad."

He glanced up and gave her a lopsided grin. Something pulled at the center of her chest and she wasn't sure what it meant. Peeta went back to his drawing. Katniss continued trying to decipher that feeling as she watched the picture taking shape: Riley laughing and holding the game controller.

He started working on a detail with Riley's hair – a little curl over his eye. "Tell me one of your deep, dark secrets." He requested.

"Deep, dark secrets?" She laughed and sat back once more. "I want to open a summer camp. Like one of those wilderness-type camps. Teach survival skills and archery and all that."

Peeta looked up, impressed. "That's cool. So do you have a plot of land picked out and stuff?"

"Oh, I'm still so many years away from doing it. I've got to save up some money." She smiled. "But I've got the program all planned out. And I can see the building layout in my mind."

"Well, when you get a little further in the planning, I'll gladly draw something out if you want."

"I'd like that." Katniss stretched. "I should head out. It's been a long day."

He tried to hide a yawn. "It has been."

She brought her glass to the sink. "It's my turn next. You and Riley come hang out at my house. We never got around to watching The Mighty Ducks."

He laughed and followed her to the door. "Let us know when and we'll be there with bells on."

"But not next weekend because we have a tournament." Katniss leaned against the wall to put on her shoes. "I'll text you between now and then. We'll figure it out."

She appreciated that Peeta watched her get into her car and back out before he returned inside. She wondered if he'd go right to bed or finish his drawing of Riley.

* * *

Peeta stood in the hall outside Riley's room. His son snored softly, exhausted from all the events from the day. He took his phone out of his pocket and snapped a picture.

He looked at it and contemplated the things he'd talked about with Katniss earlier. Glimmer did deserve a relationship with Riley if she was clean. He sent the picture to Glimmer with the accompanying text, **I'll have him call tomorrow.**

She replied just a minute later, **Thank you! Give him an extra kiss for me.**

He sent a reply in the affirmative and then got ready for bed.

Just as Peeta was climbing into bed, he got a text from Katniss. **Made it home and now going to sleep. I think I'll be snoozing hard like Riley. Lol**

Peeta smiled at her words. He had started feeling a lot more forming within him the more she made Riley laugh. A warmth that started in his stomach and radiated out through his whole body. He tried to push it away, but it was still there. And she had listened without judgement as he talked about everything with Glimmer. Even Annie sometimes gave him the impression she thought he was making all the wrong decisions.


	9. Chapter Nine

_Author's note: Wow, it has been forever and I always seem to be apologizing for it. Life is full of a lot of stuff, y'all. Sometimes I have zero motivation for working on fanfiction after working all day. So I'm going to try harder, but I am going to stop apologizing because that isn't something that needs apologizing for._

 _As always, many thanks to my beta aihodineverlark for some good insights on this chapter._

 _Thanks a million to my forever prereader and bestie writingbutunpublished._

 _Please go read both their works ASAP!_

 _Happy reading!_

Chapter Nine

Peeta watched Riley's face as he looked out the window. He scrutinized every car that drove by. He had told Riley they were waiting on someone and then were going to go with them to the park for a while. He didn't say who and he was surprised that Glimmer hadn't said anything to him on their daily calls.

When Glimmer asked for the visit, Peeta hesitated saying yes right away. He knew they both needed it, but he wasn't sure if he could handle it. He didn't let anyone around Riley that he didn't trust. But Glimmer promised she was trying. So he told himself that he should try too.

When his grandmother's SUV pulled into the driveway, Riley's eyes lit up. "Grandma and Grandpa!"

Peeta picked up his keys from beside the door as Riley ran outside.

 _It's going to be okay_ , Peeta told himself. _Riley needs this._

Riley let out a squeal when he saw it was Glimmer. He jumped up into her arms. It occurred to Peeta that this was the most Glimmer had ever been around Riley since he was a baby. But it _was_ the right thing for their son.

Peeta locked the door and followed Riley. He stood awkwardly a short distance away. He didn't want to intrude, but he also didn't want Riley too far out of his sight.

"Dad didn't say it was you!" Riley looked into her face, smiling in wonder.

Glimmer looked like she had tears in her eyes when she said, "A nice surprise, huh?"

"The best!" Riley pressed his eyes into her shoulder.

Peeta retrieved the booster seat from the back of his car and carried it toward the SUV. "Let me get this buckled in and we can be on our way."

A few minutes later, Riley was chattering happily in the back seat as Glimmer drove toward the park in the middle of town.

"And Katniss said she would give me lessons every week. She says I could be good." Riley said.

Glimmer smiled at him in the mirror. "I bet you could be." She glanced toward Peeta with an odd look. "Archery is the last thing I would think you'd encourage."

"He's too young for wrestling." Peeta said with a grin. He wished he'd called Katniss to come. Or Annie and Finnick. Anyone so that he didn't have to be alone with her.

Glimmer pulled in beside the park. Riley unbuckled quickly and hopped out before Peeta had his door open.

"Mom, come push me on the swing." Riley called as he ran toward the open swing.

Glimmer laughed and ran after him.

Peeta found a seat on a nearby bench and watched them as they played together. He could hear Riley's laughter above all the other children. The smile on his face was bigger than Peeta had ever seen. Even bigger than when he got the bike he'd been begging months for last Christmas.

And he had to admit that Glimmer looked good. Her hair and complexion were a lot healthier than when she had attended Riley's birthday. And she was laughing and engaging in her play with Riley. They went from the swing to the slide. She stood at the bottom of the fireman's pole as Riley slid down over and over.

Peeta took out his phone and snapped a few pictures before sending Katniss a text. **Are you busy?**

It took a while for her to reply. **Volleyball tournament. What's up?**

He'd completely forgotten about that. **We're at the park with Glimmer.**

 **How's it going?** This reply was much quicker. Maybe she was in the middle of matches.

 **Better than I expected. I feel anxious for myself. But her and Riley are having a blast.**

Riley ran over after a while with Glimmer on his heels. "Can we go get ice cream?"

"You want ice cream?" Peeta asked, pulling Riley onto his lap.

Glimmer collapsed on the bench beside them. "Ice cream was my idea. Do you mind?"

Peeta gave Riley a squeeze. "I don't mind at all. Let's go to Sae's."

As they headed toward the car, Peeta's phone went off in his pocket. A text from Katniss. **Is there anything I can say that will help?**

He smiled to himself. Katniss had admitted to him recently that she wasn't ever good with words, but he didn't see that. He typed out his response, **Not right now. But can I call you tonight?**

 **Sure.** She replied. And then added, **It might be pretty late when we're done here. I'll text to let you know. Is that okay?**

 **Yes. Thanks.** Peeta sent the text and then put his phone away. He was determined not to let his anger over the past cloud what was happening in the present.

* * *

"Who are you texting?" Prim asked, trying to sneak a glance over Katniss's shoulder.

 **Is there anything I can say that will help?** Katniss sent the message and then locked her screen and stuffed her phone in her pocket. "My friend Peeta." The latest match was drawing to a close and her girls would have to go back out soon.

Iris stood with her. "I should head back so I can get ready for work."

Katniss gave her mother a hug. "Thank you for coming, Mom."

"It was a pleasure, Katniss. You are doing a great job." Iris let go and turned to Prim.

"I'll walk you out." Prim said.

"Text when you get home." Katniss called after them and turned the other direction.

She pulled out her phone to find another text from Peeta. **Not right now. But can I call you tonight?**

She quickly typed, **Sure.** She wrote another quick text, **It might be pretty late when we're done here. I'll text to let you know. Is that okay?**

Katniss tried her best to focus for the rest of the tournament, but it was difficult. When the day was finally done, they all piled in the bus. They had lost their second match of the day. It was a very hard loss with their team only scoring a handful of points.

Their third hadn't been as brutal, but they still lost. Katniss blamed herself for her distraction, but she knew it wasn't the real reason they lost. They would keep practicing and try to do better the next time.

Prim beat Katniss to her house that evening. She could hear the TV through the door as she unlocked it. Some cooking competition was on and Prim was shouting at the TV.

"You should have listened to Chef Ramsey!"

Katniss snorted. "How fast did you drive?"

"Not fast enough." Prim turned. "You want to watch a movie?"

"Yes, let's watch a movie." Katniss sat down on the couch beside Prim and pulled out her phone. "You pick." She sent Peeta a text. **Home whenever you want to call.**

Her phone rang a moment later. "I have to take this." She walked out of the room to answer. Prim looked after her suspiciously, but said nothing.

"So how did it all go?" Katniss said once they exchanged greetings.

"Riley was floating on cloud nine all afternoon, so I say well." Peeta chuckled.

"That's good." She sat down on the edge of her bed. "How was Glimmer?"

There was a pause. "She hung on his every word the whole time. No looking over her shoulder or at her phone. And she wasn't super quick to leave or extra clingy and dramatic."

"That's really good." She picked at a bit of fuzz on her blanket. "Did your anxiety go away?"

"I was still pretty antsy the whole time. I have this feeling that eventually the other shoe is going to drop and it will all break his heart again. Same as always." He sighed. "I don't think I'll ever get over it."

"She burned you pretty badly."

"She did. But if she's trying, I should give her the benefit of the doubt." He didn't sound very certain.

"Maybe you should." She wanted to be encouraging, but she didn't know if she was helping. She never did.

There was a pause again. "So how was the tournament?"

Katniss appreciated the change of subject. She wasn't sure of what else to say about Glimmer. "We lost. Mags wasn't happy about it."

Peeta chuckled. "I'd hate to make her angry."

"Yeah, it's not a fun time." She laughed.

Prim stepped into the doorway with a bowl of popcorn and a DVD of Bend it Like Beckham. "Movie time." She whispered.

"I'll be right there." Katniss sighed. She could just let Prim wait for a while. But she hardly ever saw her sister anymore. She said into the phone, "Prim's here. We're about to watch a movie."

"Sounds like fun." Peeta said. "I'll let you get to that. Thanks for talking to me."

"It was no problem. I like talking to you." She swallowed hard against an odd lump in her throat.

"I'll text to you tomorrow."

"Okay. Tell Riley I say hello." She ended the call and then put her phone on the charger beside her bed.

Prim had the movie ready to play when Katniss walked into the living room.

"I always wished the girls had ended up together in the end." Prim said, holding out the popcorn bowl.

Katniss snorted. "What about your love of Jonathan Rhys Meyers?"

"I have just as much love for Kiera Knightly." Prim chewed her lip. "Well, not just as much. It's a spectrum thing. I'm like a two."

"A two?" Katniss asked.

"The Kinsey Scale? Where zero is completely straight and six is completely gay? Two means mostly straight, but kinda gay."

Katniss narrowed her eyes at her sister. "Are you trying to tell me you're bisexual, Prim?"

Prim grinned and nodded. "Yeah.

Katniss patted Prim's knee. "Thank you for telling me."

"Well, you've always been so honest with me about your lack of attraction. I thought it was time I came clean."

Katniss pulled her sister into a tight embrace, "It's not coming clean. But I really am glad you decided to share this with me."

Prim gave Katniss a sloppy kiss on the cheek and then sat back. They watched the movie in silence for a while. Katniss watched Prim from the corner of her eye. Prim took her phone out and smiled at it before replying.

"I have this girl I've been talking to." Prim said as she put her phone away.

Katniss grabbed the remote and hit pause. "Okay, I know you're dying to tell me."

Prim giggled and did something on her phone before handing it to Katniss. It was a selfie of a dark-skinned girl. She was giving the camera a large, toothy smile.

"Wow, she's pretty." Katniss handed the phone back.

"Yeah. Her name is Rue. We have algebra together." Prim blushed a little. "We were studying for a test the other day and she just kissed me."

Katniss laughed. "That's pretty sweet."

"It was. We've been texting almost constantly since and she just asked me on a date."

"I'm happy for you. I hope it works out."

"Me too." Prim turned the movie back on and leaned against Katniss.

As the credits rolled, Katniss yawned and tried to remove herself form under Prim.

But Prim wrapped her arms around Katniss and held her in place. "True talk about this Peeta guy."

"He's my friend. I've told you." Katniss pulled Prim's arms from around her waist and stood.

"Okay, I'd believe you if it weren't for the fact that you drove all the way home on a week night to get your very first practice bow for his kid. You live right next door to your childhood best friend and talk about this new 'friend'," Prim used her fingers to make quotation marks in the air, "way more than you mention Gale. So spill."

Katniss sat down on the end of the couch and put her face in her hands. "There's something…" She groaned and sat up. "I've never been good putting things into words. But I've never had this before. It's like an ache, but I don't really know where and I don't know how to make it go away."

Prim wrapped an arm around her back. "I know that feeling well."

Katniss sighed. "He's a great guy. And he's funny and talented. He's a really attentive dad. Riley is hilarious and a super sweet kid."

Prim rested her head on Katniss's shoulder. "I've been learning some things while I've been exploring what it means to possibly be bisexual. And one of those things is that you can be romantically attracted to someone but not want to have sex with them."

Katniss could feel her heart speeding up. This was a lot more than she even admitted to herself. "I don't want to mess anything up. Riley's mom has been flaky all his life and if I start something with Peeta and it doesn't last, it'll break Riley's heart."

Prim gave Katniss a smile. "Has Peeta said anything or given you any clues about stronger feelings?"

"He's said some things." Katniss sighed. "I don't want to hurt them. Or for me to be hurt."

"Maybe you should lay it all out and tell him what's going on."

"And maybe I can keep this to myself and never tell him anything." Katniss said quickly as she stood up. "I'm tired. I'll see you in the morning." She hurried to her room and quickly changed for bed thinking about all she'd admitted to Prim. Her head was reeling and her chest was tight. And no matter how tired she was, she couldn't sleep for thinking about it all.


	10. Chapter Ten

_Author's note: I'm super excited to share this chapter with you. Please let me know what you think._

 _Thanks a ton to my beta aihodineverlark. You have helped me shape this story into what it is now and I really appreciate it._

 _Thanks also to my bestie and forever prereader. You always let me talk on and on about my writing and I very much appreciate it._

 _There is mention of a book called A Week of Raccoons in this chapter. It is one of my favorite books from my childhood and my copy is, sadly, falling to pieces._

 _Happy reading!_

Chapter Ten

Katniss smiled at her phone as she read Peeta's latest text. **They put me in a hat and now I'm having a tea party. Riley thinks this is the funniest thing in the world.** A picture accompanied it. Peeta was, in fact, wearing a hat. He was also wearing a feather boa as were Riley and the Odair girls.

 **You're beautiful!** Katniss replied. **Are you surviving them all?**

Peeta had told her a few days before that Finnick and Annie decided they needed an overnight trip alone and he had volunteered to take care of their kids while they were away.

Peeta responded, **Somehow. Bedtime is soon. Probs going to be hard. But I'll somehow manage.**

Before she realized what she was doing, Katniss typed out, **I can come over and help if you need.** She hit send before she could chicken out.

His reply came a moment later. **I would love the help. I've never had to put more than one kid to bed. I'm severely outnumbered.**

 **I'll be right over.**

* * *

The house was in chaos when Peeta answered the door.

She looked behind him and smiled. "Don't worry, reinforcements have arrived." She walked past him and stopped in the middle of the living room.

Riley spotted her first and threw his arms around her waist. "Katniss, what are you doing here?"

Katniss patted his back. "I came to hang out for a while."

Mags asked, "Will you play with us?"

"I heard it was almost time for you guys to all get in bed." Katniss indicated the bag she had over her shoulder. "And I brought some of my favorite books to share with you."

Pearl's eyes lit up. "You got books for kids?"

"I do." Katniss pulled out several books. The one on top was called _A Week of Raccoons_. "These were my favorite books when I was little. They mean a lot to me, so I like to keep them, even if I never read them." She passed them out to the three kids and then turned to see Peeta watching her with respect.

"They didn't even sit down to eat supper. How did you do that?"

Katniss shrugged. "New presence?"

"Maybe." Peeta leaned over the back of the couch to see what Riley was looking at.

"Where is Brendan?" Katniss asked.

"In his room playing video games." Peeta straightened up. "Okay, kids, five minutes while I get the pallets put out and then we're settling in for the night."

The three groaned in unison.

Peeta ruffled Riley's hair. He motioned for Katniss to follow him down the hall. "They're camping out in the dining room. I promised I'd make the table into a tent." He stopped at a closet and started gathering blankets. "How are you at making a blanket tent?"

"It was never my strong suit, but I can do my best." She took a few of the blankets from him and followed him into the dining room.

After they put the tent together and made up some beds underneath, Peeta sent the kids to change into their pajamas.

"Will you read one of your books, Katniss?" Riley asked as they crawled into the tent.

"Sure. Which one?"

* * *

Peeta's breath caught in his chest when he saw how all three of the little kids had flocked to Katniss when she arrived. He knew Riley was enamored with her, but he'd assumed it was because he craved validation from a woman closer to his mother's age. But there was something about her, the quiet confidence he supposed, that pulled kids in.

He slipped away to check on Brendan while Katniss read. He was very grateful for her help, but even more that he could see this side of her.

Brendan was at his computer desk with headphones on. Peeta tapped his shoulder.

Brendan pushed one side of his headphones off the side and continued playing. "I don't have a bedtime on the weekends."

"Don't try to pull that crap with me, Brendan," Peeta chuckled, "I know for certain your bedtime on the weekends is eleven."

Brendan glanced over at the clock. "It's only nine." He pressed several keys and raised his hands in triumph.

"Yes, well, your sisters and Riley are going to sleep. Supposed to be. Just wanted to remind you to keep your shouts of victory at a reasonable volume." Peeta squeezed Brendan's shoulder. "I'll be in the living room if you need anything."

"Sure thing." Brendan put his headphones back in place and went back to his game.

Katniss was still in the middle of reading to the younger three, so Peeta set about cleaning the living room. It was a mess, but he knew it was usually like this unless there was company.

His phone buzzed with a text from Finnick. **How are the kids?**

Peeta sat down on the couch and typed out his answer. **Brendan is playing his computer games and your girls and Riley are getting a story from Katniss in a tent under the table.**

Finnick sent several texts in a row:

 **Katniss?**

 **Everdeen?**

 **In my house?**

 **You better not use my bed.**

 **Or any of my furniture. Do that shit at your own house.**

Peeta rolled his eyes. **Are you done?**

It took only a moment for Finnick to reply, **Yes.**

Peeta glanced over when he heard soft singing from the dining room. He couldn't think as he listened to Katniss serenading the kids with a lullaby. When she was done, she looked over and found the switch. The kids giggled under the table, swishing their flashlights all around.

Peeta sent Finnick a text. **Don't worry about your furniture.** **I won't be doing anything with Katniss besides talking.**

He put his phone away and gestured for Katniss to sit beside him on the couch. "You're good with them."

Katniss smiled and sat down. "I've always had some sort of kid whisperer thing." She shrugged. "Funny because I don't want kids really, but I don't mind other people's kids."

Peeta nodded. "I'd like for Riley to have siblings one of these days. But I don't know if it will ever happen." He sat up suddenly. "Oh, there's pizza and soda in the fridge. You want some?"

"I'll take a slice of pizza."

Peeta got up and walked toward the kitchen. Katniss followed. Peeta paused at the table and popped his head under the blanket. The three kids were still laughing deliriously, their eyes and bodies growing heavy.

In the kitchen, Peeta pulled a pizza box out of the fridge. "Help yourself. You want some water?"

"Yes, please." She looked in the box and made a face. "Gross! Pineapple on pizza."

"I like pineapple on my pizza sometimes." He filled a couple glasses and passed one to Katniss.

"Keep it away from me." She picked up a slice of pepperoni. She leaned back against the counter. "How are things with his mother?"

Peeta smiled. "A lot better than I expected it. I'm still waiting for her to flake. But so far she's stepped up." He took out a slice of the Hawaiian pizza and leaned against the counter beside Katniss. "And her mom does random drug tests. Do you know you can buy those at a drug store?"

"I bet it's hard for her." Katniss sipped her water. "Glimmer, I mean. I have an uncle who is a recovering alcoholic. He's been sober for over a decade, but he still struggles with it."

He nodded. "We all struggle with it. I know I'm not the one who got addicted, but I am the one who has had to wipe the tears and heal the wounds every time she fails him."

There was a fresh burst of giggles from the dining room.

"You're doing a good job, though." Katniss said softly.

Peeta smiled. "Thanks." He looked up and caught her watching him closely. It was almost as if she was seeing someone she'd never looked at before. It was a calculating, interested sort of gaze. It made him feel warm all over. He wanted to move closer and ask her what she was thinking.

But before he could, Katniss moved away and broke the connection. "I should probably leave. You seem to have made it past the craziness."

"Please don't go yet." He thought he sounded a little desperate, so he cleared his voice and tried again. "I want you to stay a while. Hang out. If _you_ want to, that is."

Katniss smiled. "I do want to stay."

Peeta glanced up at the clock. "I've got to tell Brendan to go to bed."

* * *

As Peeta went to speak with Brendan, Katniss got another slice of pizza and took it into the living room. She stopped a moment to peek under the dining table and saw the three kids all fast asleep. She smiled and continued on.

Katniss looked down at her buzzing phone to find a message from Prim. **So are you going to talk to him then?**

She nibbled her slice of pizza and glanced down the hall. **How do I even start that conversation? I think I'll just keep it to myself.**

Prim: **If you do that, you will hate yourself forever. And complain to me when he starts dating someone else.**

Katniss sighed and typed frantically. **I promise I wouldn't complain forever.** She finished the pizza and then sent another message to her sister, **What should I say exactly?**

Peeta came back into the living room and plopped down on the couch with a sigh. "I am beat."

She laughed. "Kids are exhausting."

"You work with them every day." Peeta pointed out.

"I work with teenagers. They are a different kind of exhausting."

He snorted. "I guess that's true."

He looked over at her and she felt that tightening in her stomach that she couldn't explain. The scary, muddled feelings that were so very new. She swallowed hard. Should she say something? Should she go?

Peeta's voice broke into her thoughts. "Do you have Thanksgiving plans?"

Katniss smiled gratefully. "My sister and mom are coming in the night before. We do a big breakfast instead of the dinner. Mom usually had to work, so it became our tradition."

"Well, if you want some turkey, we'd love for you and your family to join ours. We always have plenty of food to share."

"I'll talk to my mom and Prim and get back to you."

"Okay, awesome."

They were both quiet for a while. Peeta picked at a string on the back of the sofa. Katniss checked a message on her phone.

Prim: **"I like you. Do you like me? Check yes or no."**

Katniss typed out a quick reply, **You're super helpful, Prim.**

Prim: **Just tell him already! You will feel so much better.**

Katniss sighed and put her phone away. "I, um," she cleared her throat. "There's something…" She groaned. "Words are hard for me."

Peeta smiled. "It's fine." He picked up a bit of hair that had fallen from her braid and rubbed it between his finger and thumb. "You're so good with those kids."

"They're good kids." She pulled her hair out of his grasp. "I've always had more success with kids. They're always honest about things."

"It can get them in trouble sometimes." Peeta chuckled.

"Oh, yeah," Katniss laughed. "I've seen it."

Peeta leaned his head on his hand on the armrest. "It's past my bedtime."

"I should go." She started to get up, but he put a hand on top of hers. Katniss felt her stomach do a flop and pulled her hand away.

Peeta gave her a concerned look. "You okay?"

She sat back and swallowed hard. "I'm scared."

He straightened up. "Of what?"

She tried to look anywhere but at his face, but she was drawn back to his eyes. "Peeta, I'm starting to feel something I've never felt before." She took a deep breath. "For you, I mean."

Katniss hated the way her voice sounded. It was shaky. She felt jumpy. No one but Prim ever got this side of her. As frightening as the newness of her feelings was, laying it all out like this was even more terrifying.

Peeta gave her a smile that made all the tension drain from her body. "I understand."

"You do?"

He leaned on his hand again. "Every time I get even the slightest crush on someone, I have to think about Riley. I have to consider if it's worth it to try not only for me, but for him. If I date her, will she want to be there for my son in the long run? Will Riley like her? What happens if things don't work out but we've been dating for years and Riley has to lose out on someone he thought would always be there?" He sat up and looked toward the dining room and then back to her. "Thank you for telling me, Katniss."

"I know you've indicated in the past…"

He nodded and smiled. "But we've also agreed to be friends. So we'll just keep that up. And if we both ever decide it needs to change, we will do it. But not unless we both want to explore it."

"Thank you." She stood and he did the same.

"Can I hug you?" Peeta asked shyly.

Katniss smiled and held open her arms. The pair embraced briefly. Katniss pressed her eyes into his shoulder and sighed. She never felt comfortable hugging anyone other than Prim or her mom. But this was very nice.

She stepped away. "I'll text you later."

He walked with her to the door. She noticed as she got settled into her car that he was still standing in the doorway until she started her car and backed down the driveway. He gave her one last wave before he closed the door.

She drove away with a smile that hurt her cheeks.


	11. Chapter Eleven

_Author's note: It's Thanksgiving in Panem! Can't wait to hear what you think of this chapter._

 _Heaps of thanks to my beta aihodineverlark!_

 _And a ton of thanks to my forever prereader and bestie writingbutunpublished._

 _Happy reading!_

Chapter Eleven

Riley jumped out the car door as soon as Peeta turned off the ignition. Before the boy could get very far, Peeta followed him and grabbed him by the waist, carrying him back to the car amidst his son's uproarious laughter.

"I know you're excited to see all your cousins, but I need you to help me get stuff inside, please."

Riley sighed. "Okay."

Peeta sat Riley on his feet and opened the back door. He passed one of the boxes of decorations to his son and sent him on his way. Then Peeta got the rest of the decorations and the cookies before he headed to the front door.

When he entered the house, Annie called, "Thank god you're here. I've heard nothing but whining from Mags since she woke up."

"I got cookie stuff. That should alieve the whining for a couple minutes." Peeta followed her into the dining room, nodding to his brother Graham in the living room with both his boys pressed into his sides. All of them had an electronic device in their hands. "There's a cake in my car."

"I'll run and get it for you." Annie said. "You can take over with the kids." She hurried out of the house before he could stop her.

Conrad walked into the room. "Hey there, Peanut. We were wondering where you two were."

"Glimmer asked to see Riley for a bit this morning, so we stopped there on the way over." Peeta started setting out all the decorations.

"How is she doing?" Conrad asked softly.

Peeta shrugged. "She's doing her best. Her mom and dad are keeping an eye out for anything. But she's got a job. And she goes every day. And she goes to all her NA meetings and the parenting classes—"

Conrad placed a hand on his shoulder. "You don't have to justify anything to me, Peeta. If you think it's okay, then it is."

Peeta heard Riley laughing outside with all his cousins. "He's so much happier when he gets to see her. Like something was missing."

Conrad nodded. "Want me to get them all in here for cookie decorating?"

"If they're having fun out there, this can wait until later."

Just then Riley came running inside followed by Mags, Pearl, and Ryan and Delly's twin girls Casey and Taylor.

"Dad, we want to do the cookies now." Riley announced.

"Do Brendan, Davis, and Joe want to join?" Peeta asked.

"I'll go see." Conrad said.

Peeta sent all the kids into the bathroom to wash their hands as he went into the kitchen to do the same. He saw his stepmother Clara standing over a pan on the stove with Delly working on rolling out some biscuit dough on the counter.

"Oh, there you are." Clara smiled. "I heard you talking in the dining room."

Peeta stepped over and kissed each of them on the cheek before he went to the sink to wash his hands. "Getting some cookies and frosting set out for the kids. What are you working on?"

"Trying to get these potatoes to boil." Clara grinned. "Annie said you invited a girlfriend to join us."

"She said girlfriend?" Peeta asked, his heart pounding out of his chest. "Katniss is just my friend. Does everyone think they're going to meet my girlfriend? She's not my girlfriend."

Delly stepped over and placed her hands on his shoulders. "Take a breath, Peeta. I don't think anyone is expecting her as your girlfriend. But Riley was pretty excited to tell us all about her when he came in."

"Okay, well, she's a woman who is my friend, but she isn't my girlfriend."

Mags called from the other room, "Uncle Peeta, all of us have our hands washed."

"I have cookies to decorate." He hurried out of the room before he could be interrogated further.

* * *

Katniss listened intently to the GPS helping her navigate through the busy streets. Peeta said his parents' house was behind the bakery. But the bakery was in the middle of the city and it seemed everyone and their grandma was trying to get some last-minute grocery shopping done before their evening meals.

"Your destination is on the left." The voice said on her phone.

Prim pointed. "Mellark Bakery."

"So we turn on the next block and…" Katniss spotted Peeta's SUV in the driveway along with Finnick and Annie's van. "We have arrived." She pulled in and parked.

She was anxious. Meeting new people was always hard for her, but she was so happy she already knew so many members of this family.

Katniss and Prim gathered their food contributions—a pineapple upside down cake and a vegetable tray—and headed toward the front door.

Their knock was answered by a man that looked like an older version of Peeta. "You must be Katniss and Prim." He said with a big smile. His eyes, the same shade of blue as Peeta's, sparkled.

"That's us." Katniss said. "And you're Peeta's dad?"

He held out his hand. "Conrad. Nice to meet you, Katniss."

She shook his hand and stepped aside so Prim could do the same.

"Come on in." Conrad led them into the house. "This is my oldest, Graham. And you know Finnick and Annie."

Annie popped up and pulled Katniss into a quick hug. Katniss patted her back a couple times and then stepped away. "This is Prim."

Riley peered his head around a door frame. His eyes grew wide and he ran into the room. Katniss was barely able to hand over the veggie tray to Annie before Riley threw himself into her arms.

"Katniss, you're here!" Riley exclaimed.

Katniss laughed. "It looks that way." She gave him a tight squeeze and then introduced him to her sister.

Riley leaned in and whispered in Katniss's ear, "She's so pretty."

Katniss grinned. "She is very pretty. She takes after our mom." She sat him down on his feet. "Prim made pineapple upside down cake. I told her it was probably risky bringing a baked good to the house of professional bakers, but hers is the best I've ever had."

Conrad smiled gratefully. "We are bakers here, but we welcome other people's creations wholeheartedly." He motioned for them to follow him into the next room. "You can come put that stuff in the kitchen."

Katniss took the veggie tray back from Annie and followed.

"Hey, Katniss." Peeta said as they passed through the dining room.

She looked over to see Peeta standing with a large group of kids decorating cookies. She smiled and felt herself relax at his familiar face. "You have frosting on your nose," she commented before continuing on to the kitchen. _What a greeting, Katniss._

Conrad introduced Katniss and Prim to his wife, daughters-in-law, and middle son.

Katniss nodded to all of them, but she forgot their names the moment they came from Conrad's mouth.

Conrad gave her a wicked smile. "Remember, there's a test later. You going to remember all that?"

Katniss laughed uncomfortably. "I am not good with names. I still forget the names of my students sometimes."

"Don't worry. I've got it all filed away." Prim tapped her head. "I'm in the top five percent of my class, after all."

Conrad laughed. "I like you, Prim."

"I like you too, Conrad." Prim said.

Katniss felt a hand on her shoulder and she turned to find Peeta standing there, his arms open to silently ask for a hug. She smiled and glanced behind her to see Prim watching her curiously. Katniss stepped into Peeta's embrace and gave his back an affectionate pat before she stepped away. She had been tempted to stand there in his arms for a few seconds longer. Peeta's hugs felt just as comfortable as Prim's.

"Thanks for the heads-up about the frosting." He chuckled. He walked around her and held out his hand. "Hi, Prim, I've heard so much about you."

Prim eyed her sister, no doubt shocked at the embrace, before she shook Peeta's hand. "Likewise. Nice to meet you, Peeta."

"So your mom had to work?" Peeta asked.

Katniss nodded. "Yeah. Well, her shift is tonight. She went home to get some rest."

"But you did get to see her?"

Katniss nodded. "Yep. She stayed last night. And made the breakfast while Prim and I snoozed."

"That's good."

One of the kids came in. Katniss didn't recognize her. She had blonde hair like Peeta and his brothers.

"We cleaneded up, Uncle Peeta." She said.

"Thanks, Taylor. I'll finish it up." Peeta ruffled her hair. "You guys go play."

"Okay!" She called to all the other kids and then they all bolted past and out the back door.

"Wow, that's a lot of kids." Prim commented.

Conrad laughed. "Yes. And so many more to come, I'm sure."

Katniss heard one of the young women in the room squeak.

Peeta laughed, "Got some news to share, Dell?"

"Not at this time." The woman, Delly, said. She walked outside after the children clutching her husband's hand.

Peeta motioned to Katniss and Prim. "Come on, I'll show you two around a bit."

"I'm fine here." Prim said. She shoved Katniss's shoulder. "But you go. I'll help with the last of the prep."

Katniss narrowed her eyes at her sister. What was Prim playing at?

Katniss followed Peeta into the next room. She smiled at the pile of cookies placed haphazardly onto a platter. They were covered in fall colored frosting and various sprinkles. She smiled and picked up one as Peeta piled up the rest of the cookies and things the kids had left behind.

"Looks like they had fun." Katniss took a bite of the cookie.

"They did. I narrowly managed to keep them from throwing sprinkles around the room." He laughed. "So how are you doing? I know you aren't always the best with so many people."

Katniss was touched that he remembered that about her. Gale had mentioned it the one time and she'd never said anything since. "I'm fine right now. Thank you."

"We can always step outside and take a walk if you need a break." He finished picking up and pushed the cookie platter into the middle of the table. He picked up a cookie and took a bite before he walked into the next room. "I'm sure you saw the living room. There's a bathroom over there." He pointed across the room. "And another upstairs. There's a den back here." He led her toward the back of the house and into a large sunken room. There was a TV mounted to the wall and a game system underneath. Several shelves held books and board games and pieces to yard games.

"This used to be the garage, but my dad closed it in when he married Clara. Ryan and I used it as a shared bedroom until Graham moved out. Riley and I lived here until I got my house."

"And it's a game room now." Katniss observed.

"It is." Peeta finished his cookie and then brushed crumbs off of his hands. He pulled at something attached to a wall and lowered a ping-pong table. "Care for a couple rounds of good old table tennis?"

"I'm not very good." She took the paddle from him anyway.

"Neither am I, but it's still fun." Peeta twirled the handle of the paddle in his hand and then readied his serve.

They played, poorly, for a while. Prim and Annie came in and both took turns. Some of the children did as well.

Conrad walked in and said, "The turkey is coming out of the oven now, so let's get the kids cleaned up."

There was a mass exodus of kids from the room with harried parents trying desperately to catch up to them. Katniss wrapped her arm around Prim's back and the pair followed the lines to wait for the bathroom or kitchen sink before digging in.

* * *

Peeta couldn't keep his eyes off Katniss the entire evening. She spoke with everyone around her and they all seemed to be enjoying each other's company. But as the day grew later, he noticed she was listening more than talking.

As the group dispersed from the table and Clara assured everyone that the dishes could wait, Peeta asked Katniss, "Would you like to take a short walk? Get fresh air?"

She smiled gratefully. "I would love that." She turned and seemed like she was about to say something to her sister, but decided against it. She had Riley on her lap and the attention of all the other small children as she told them a story.

She shrugged and walked with Peeta out the door. The evening was chilly. Katniss pulled her coat tighter around her. It was quiet for a while. Peeta didn't mind it and he knew Katniss needed it.

They rounded a corner and were in front of the bakery. Katniss stopped and looked up. "So this is where it all started, huh?"

Peeta smiled. "Yep. I memorized my first dough recipe here. Stacked and decorated my first cake. Cookies, cupcakes, pies."

She laughed. "That sounds so wholesome."

"It was a great childhood." He placed a gentle hand on her back to get her moving, but dropped it as they continued on down the sidewalk for a while. "So I met with my lawyer this week."

"Oh?" She looked up at him. "Good news?"

"She said she'd spoken with Glimmer's lawyer. She's willing to give me everything I want with custody and child support as long as I continue to increase her visitation. She wants to have him spending the night by this time next year."

"Do you think she's going to be ready for that?"

Peeta shrugged. "I don't know."

Katniss was quiet until the house came into view again. "You'll make whatever choice is right for Riley."

"I know I will. But I keep thinking that I don't want him to be with her for so many of my own selfish reasons."

She bumped her shoulder against his. "It's normal. But you're a practical person in the end. And if she loves him as much as you, she'll want what's best for him like you do. And the both of you will make the best decision for him."

He stopped just outside the ring of the porch light. He looked in the window to his family in the living room. His father and Graham both dozed while the kids ran in and out of view. Prim was right behind them.

He spoke softly, "Thank you, Katniss."

"Any time." Katniss touched his arm. "I mean it, Peeta."

Peeta patted her hand. "I should probably relieve your sister of my child's post-Thanksgiving madness." He walked up the steps and paused, looking back at her. She was watching him with a little smile on her lips. "What?"

"Nothing." She stepped lightly up the steps. She slipped her hand into his and gave it a gentle squeeze.

She let go too quickly and walked into the house.


	12. Chapter Twelve

_Author's note: Thanks for reading! And for all the comments. Keep all the love coming! Feel free to come talk to me on Tumblr (hpfanonezillion OR booksrockmyface)!_

 _Thanks a ton to my beta aihodineverlark._

 _Many thanks to my bestie and forever prereader writingbutunpublished!_

 _Happy reading!_

 **Caution warning: Riley is sick in this chapter and does vomit a couple times.**

Chapter Twelve

Katniss could feel her phone vibrating in her pocket as she stepped into her office for lunch. She considered ignoring it, but something told her to take it out. Peeta's name was on the screen and she swiped to answer before it went to voicemail.

"Oh, thank God." Peeta said after she picked up.

She felt uneasy. "Is something wrong?"

He spoke quickly, "I'm in a bit of a bind. I'm hoping you can help me out."

"I can try. What's up?"

Peeta sighed. "So I got a call from the school that Riley is sick. I'm waiting on some clients to show for a consult and I can't get in touch with them to postpone. I tried Annie and she's not answering. And everyone else I call is stuck for some time. Is there any way you can get Riley from school and let him lay down in your office until I can come get him?"

Katniss picked up her wallet and keys from the locked drawer in her desk. "I can bring him to you. It's my lunch and then I have my free period."

"You are a lifesaver. I owe you big." His voice was full of relief. "I'll call the office and let them know you're on your way."

Just a couple minutes later she was in the office of the elementary school. Riley spotted her through the window as she spoke with the secretary and waved. He looked pretty out of it, but he still smiled broadly as he walked out with the nurse.

"Why are you here?" Riley asked.

"Your dad was stuck waiting for some clients and asked if I could pick you up." Katniss held out her hand. "Let's get you home."

Katniss strapped Riley into the back seat of her car and headed toward Peeta's house.

"I didn't puke." Riley informed Katniss after a while. "But I have a fever and my head hurts."

"That's what the secretary told me." She made a face at him in the rearview mirror. "So you feel pretty rotten, huh?"

"Yeah." He heaved a sigh.

"We'll get you home and into bed and your dad will take care of you."

"Dad said we'd go Christmas shopping today. I don't want to be sick." Riley groaned.

"You have plenty of time for Christmas shopping." Katniss pulled into the driveway. She got out and helped him crawl out. "Christmas is still three weeks away.

Peeta was in the middle of his consultation when Katniss and Riley walked through the front door.

"Will you please excuse me for one moment?" Peeta scooped Riley into his arms and kissed his cheek. "You are burning up."

"They said they gave him something for that before they called you." Katniss said.

Peeta nodded. "That's what the secretary said." He glanced toward his clients at the table in the next room.

Katniss held out her arms. "You go finish up and I can get him settled in."

"Thank you." Peeta passed Riley back to her.

The boy pressed his eyes into her neck. "My head still hurts."

Katniss walked toward the back of the house. "I'm sure if you get all snug in your bed, you'll go right to sleep. And sometimes sleeping can help with a headache."

She sat him on his feet beside his bed so she could pull down the blanket. Riley leaned against the side and tried to kick off his shoes, but he was having trouble with balance. Katniss lifted him onto the bed and removed the shoes for him.

After he was finally tucked in, Katniss sat on the edge of the mattress and started humming softly to him.

Peeta appeared at the door. "How's it going?"

Riley groaned.

Katniss looked up. "Guess he's feeling pretty rotten." She smoothed a hand over Riley's hair. "I have to get back to work, kiddo. But I'll call and check on you later."

Peeta followed Katniss to the front door. "I really appreciate your help."

"It's no trouble. Really. I was right there." She chewed her lip a moment and then said, "Would you mind if I come make y'all supper tonight? Some chicken soup for Riley?"

"I would appreciate it."

Katniss reached out and squeezed his shoulder. "I'll be back about five. That okay?"

Peeta nodded. "Thanks."

* * *

Katniss returned that evening with several grocery bags. "How's Riley?"

"His fever's down, but only by a little. I just gave him some more Tylenol." Peeta helped her unload the grocery bags. "He's been asleep all afternoon."

"Poor kid." She picked up a package of chicken. "My mom used to always make up a big batch of this chicken noodle soup right at the start of cold and flu season and froze it in batches for us to warm up whenever we got sick. It always makes me feel better."

She asked for some spices and a large pot. Peeta produced all she needed and then asked, "Can I help?"

She pointed to some celery, carrots, and an onion. "Want to peel and chop those?"

"Sure." He got out another cutting board and got to work chopping. "My stepmom always made chicken and dumplings when we were sick."

"Did it make you feel better?"

"No, I hate chicken and dumplings."

Katniss laughed. "Well, at least she tried."

"Yeah. I finally got the nerve to tell her and she never made it for me again."

"Did she make something else?" Katniss dropped the chicken into the hot oil.

Peeta smiled. "Chicken noodle. But a simpler version than this looks to be."

Katniss chuckled. "This has a lot of steps. But it really doesn't take long." After the chicken was browned all over, she picked up the veggies he finished cutting up and added them to the pot.

"I really appreciate you doing this." He reached into the freezer and took out some bread he'd frozen the week before.

"It's no trouble." She stirred the contents of the pot. "I used to cook with my dorm mates all the time in college. It's hard cooking for one sometimes."

"I hear you." Peeta watched as she added more spices. "I'm going to check on Riley."

He stepped out of the room and walked down the hall. It was so nice having someone else cooking. He often felt stretched just a little too thin, especially when the day was thrown off from its normal schedule.

Riley was snoring softly when Peeta peeked around the door. He walked in and placed a hand on his son's forehead. He was still pretty warm, but not as much as he'd been when he first came home.

Riley's eyes opened. "What's that smell?" He croaked.

Peeta smiled. "Katniss is making some chicken noodle soup. Are you starting to get hungry?"

"No." Riley closed his eyes again. "My belly feels funny."

"Funny how? Like you're about to throw up?"

"I don't know." He coughed then. "I'm gonna puke."

Peeta scooped him up and hurried with him into the bathroom. But he wasn't fast enough. Riley threw up on the front of Peeta's shirt. Peeta put Riley down in front of the toilet and stripped off his soiled shirt.

"Sorry, Daddy." Riley said weakly.

"It's okay, baby. I can wash my shirt." He rubbed the boy's back as he leaned over the toilet and retched again. "Just let it all out, Riles. It's okay."

"I think I'm done." Riley said. He made a face. "My mouth is yucky."

Peeta laughed and stood up from the floor. "Brush your teeth and your mouth should taste better." He fixed his son's toothbrush and handed it over. "I'll go get you a glass of water."

When he walked into the kitchen, he paused. He'd completely forgotten that he'd taken off his shirt. He said nothing to Katniss—who was staring very intently at the pot of soup—and quickly filled a glass of water for Riley.

Riley was settled into his bed once more and said he felt much better already. Peeta got a fresh shirt and made his way back into the kitchen.

Katniss looked up slowly. "I see you decided to get dressed."

He laughed. "Riley hurled all over my other shirt. I didn't really think about it until I was in here."

She chuckled. "I understand." She pointed to her chest. "Like the tattoo, by the way."

Peeta placed his hand over the left side of his chest. He'd had Riley's name and some briars tattooed there a few years ago. "Thanks. My dad wasn't too happy about it. Good thing it's covered up most of the time, I guess." He dropped his hand and leaned over the pot. It was now simmering away with potatoes floating around in the chicken stock with the chicken pieces, carrots, celery, and onions. "That smells delicious."

"Thanks. I hope Riley can keep it down." She leaned back.

"He says he feels better now that it's all out." He reached up and turned on the oven to heat up for the bread.

* * *

Katniss felt her stomach flip as she thought of Peeta without his shirt on. It was something she'd never felt before. But she liked it. It was exciting to feel that a person could give her such a physical response. And more than a little scary.

She had tried very hard not to look and examine every line of muscle in his upper arms and across his chest. But she had noticed anyway. She didn't catch the details of the tattoo over his heart, but she did see that it said his son's name. Her heart warmed at the gesture forever etched into Peeta's skin.

She admitted to herself that she was a little disappointed when he returned wearing a shirt once more. And then she berated herself for it. His son was sick.

They ate supper on TV trays in Riley's bedroom. The boy was pale and seemed a little weak, but he finished his bowl of soup and nibbled a little on the cheese toast his dad had made. He fell asleep again a short time later.

Peeta said softly, "I'll clean up."

"I'll help." Katniss helped him pick up all the dishes and followed him into the kitchen.

"You cooked. I can get this." He started loading up the dishwasher.

She watched him a moment and then asked, "Do you have some containers for the rest of the soup?"

They worked together cleaning up the kitchen.

When they were done, Peeta looked up at the clock. "It's not super late, but if you're ready to go…"

Katniss shook her head. "I don't have any reason to leave just yet."

He gave her a relieved smile and then walked toward the back of the house.

She followed him into the den. He patted the couch and she sat beside him.

"I can't thank you enough for all you've done today." He leaned his head back on the couch and closed his eyes. "I sent a text to his mom and she hasn't replied."

"Maybe she's busy." Katniss said softly, trying to ease his worry.

He shrugged. "So what if she is. She's his mother, she should care about what's going on with him."

"Yeah, she should."

There was silence for a while. Katniss looked around the little room and considered picking up the remote to turn on the TV for some noise. It was nice feeling so comfortable somewhere that she had that thought. She didn't feel that a lot of places that weren't her own.

After a while, Peeta spoke. "I hate myself sometimes." He said it so quietly she almost didn't catch it.

Katniss looked at him sympathetically. "Why?"

He lifted his head and his eyes found hers. "You'll think I'm a horrible person. I think I am when I consider it." He swallowed hard and averted his eyes. "I thought about giving him up. Several times when he was small. To her parents or mine. Someone that already raised kids and knew better. So that I could still be a kid for a while." He looked at her again. "But I knew I would feel so much worse. That I would have been no better than her."

Katniss looked down at where Peeta's hand rested on the cushion between them. She slipped her hand into his. "It doesn't make you a horrible person, Peeta. It just makes you human. You weren't ready to be a dad, but did it anyway."

He squeezed her hand. "I feel like I'm always a downer when you're around. Always laying all this crap on you."

She shrugged. "It's what friends are for."

He shook his head. "Friends are also for good things. Positive things. Tell me something good happening with you."

She smiled and rubbed her thumb over the back of his hand. "I have an archery competition happening in January. I'm doing better than ever practicing, so maybe I can place this time around."

"That's awesome." He squeezed her fingers. "Can people come watch? I'm sure Riley would love to see you compete."

"Of course." She took out her phone. "I'll send you the info so you can plan. It's a Saturday." She opened up the note on her phone where she'd pasted all the details, pulling her hand out of his. She passed it to Peeta. "You can ride there with me if you want."

Peeta took out his phone when it vibrated and looked over the info. "We'll see."

"Good." She smiled. "So when did you get that tattoo?"

He blushed a little. "I've had it a couple years. One of those times when everything felt hopeless. I needed a reminder." He put his hand on his chest. "I designed it with thorns wrapping around his name like they were being held back by it."

"That's so sweet." She opened up her phone's photo gallery and scrolled for a minute. She eventually found a picture Prim had drawn forever ago. "Prim wants my mom and me to get this with her." She pointed, "Reeds for our dad, irises for mom, katniss for me, and primroses for her."

He took the phone and looked at it more closely, zooming in on each. "That's a great way to honor your family." He handed the phone back. "So what's keeping you from doing it?"

"I'm afraid of needles." Katniss said softly. "But I also just don't know if I want a tattoo. Something that's there forever."

"It is." Peeta rubbed his chest again. "I think it was one of the best choices I ever made, but it's different for everyone."

"Yeah, it is."

Riley appeared at the door rubbing his eyes. "I puked again, Daddy."

Peeta stood. "It's okay, baby."

Katniss watched them leave the room and decided she should probably make her way home. She picked a pencil and went to look for something to write a note on and not bother Peeta while he was busy. She discovered a notebook under a pile of paperwork and opened it to search for a blank page. She saw that the pages at the front of the book had many sketches of Riley. There were a few of everyday objects: rolling pins, whisks, a pair of shoes.

But then she noticed that her face was among the drawings further in. She marveled at how he had drawn details on the outside of one of the portraits studying her eyes, nose, mouth, chin.

"Oh, you found my drawings." Peeta said from the end of the hall.

Katniss closed the notebook quickly and put it down on the table. "I'm sorry. I was going to leave a note. I need to go home."

He nodded. "Okay."

She chewed her lip a moment. "You did that from memory."

"Yeah. I do most of my sketching that way."

She hesitated a moment and then said, "You drew me from memory."

She could see his eyes searching hers. "You have a very unique face. I could draw a million women and never find one as beautiful as you."

There was that flip in her belly again. "I have to go." She took a step around the table.

He hurried across the room and took hold of her wrist. "I didn't mean to offend you."

"I'm not offended." She pulled her arm up and slipped her hand into his. "It's just all that fear again. No one has ever called me beautiful before. Or looked at me the way you do."

He watched her a moment and then said, "I don't think I want to be your friend anymore, Katniss."

Her heart stopped at those words. "What?"

He leaned in and rested his forehead against hers. "It scares me too."

Should she hug him? Kiss him? Run away and never look back?

Peeta's arms came around her back and pulled Katniss close. He brushed his lips across her ear as he said, "I know it's not really something you want. But I want more with you. It's so hard just being your friend when I feel so much more for you."

She hugged him back. "Give me some time to think about it, okay?"

"Okay." He stepped back. "Thank you for the soup and the conversation."

"You cook for me next, okay?" She rubbed his back and then made her exit.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

_Author's note: Happy Christmas in July! This chapter is the first of two Christmas chapters. Hope you enjoy!_

 _Thanks a ton to my beta aihodineverlark._

 _A million thanks to my bestie and forever prereader writingbutunpublished._

 _Happy reading!_

 **Trigger warning: Some minor fighting here between Peeta and Glimmer.**

Chapter Thirteen

Katniss handed Prim a cup of hot chocolate. Prim cradled the cup close and blew on the surface.

"I'm glad you're here." Katniss said, taking a sip.

"I hate that Mom has to work all week," Prim grumbled. "She's been there long enough that she should get holidays off."

"She said she was going to try to get off Christmas day." Katniss leaned on her hand. "So, I have to tell you something."

Prim leaned closer. "Spill!"

Katniss swallowed. "Peeta… He kind of asked me to be his girlfriend."

Prim squealed.

"Don't get too excited." Katniss warned. "He didn't say those words exactly. He said he wanted to be more than friends. I said I'd think about it."

Prim smiled and poked at her arm. "And is that something you're interested in?"

Katniss sighed and rubbed her face. "I don't know. I guess I do want it. It's just..."

Prim nodded. "You're scared. It's totally normal. Especially with his kid involved. But just take your time. You don't even have to label it beyond being friends. Especially at first."

Katniss smiled. "You really know what to say to make me feel better."

Prim laughed. She was about to say something, but a knock on the door stopped her.

Katniss got up and peeked out the window. Seeing Peeta waiting there expectantly made her heart speed up. She opened the door and immediately lost all coherent thought.

"Hi." She said lamely.

He smiled back. His blue eyes reminded her of a summer afternoon just after a storm. "Hey." He pointed his thumb down the road. "I just dropped Riley off down with his mom. Mind if I hang out for an hour?"

"Don't mind at all." Katniss stepped back. "Come on in. You can hang your coat on the hook there." She closed the door behind Peeta and turned to see Prim standing by the couch.

Prim smiled mischievously. Her eyes looking significantly in Peeta's direction and then back to Katniss "I just remembered I have to be… anywhere else." She hurried into the back, mug and phone in hand.

Peeta looked after her in bewilderment. "She's a bit of an odd duck, isn't she?"

Katniss laughed. "That's actually my nickname for her. Duck." She indicated the couch. "Do you want some hot chocolate?"

"No, I'm fine, thanks." He took a seat. "So, Riley and I have missed you."

"I've missed you both, too." She smiled and looked down. "I've been thinking. About what you said."

He tapped his fingers on the couch cushion anxiously. "Yeah?"

"Yeah." She moved closer and placed her hand on top of his. "I keep thinking about all the things I could miss out on one way or another. And I really like you in a way I never liked anyone else. But then there's Riley. I don't ever want to hurt him. So what happens if we start dating and it doesn't work out?"

"But what if it does work out?"

Katniss opened her mouth to talk, but he cut her off.

"I've been thinking about it too. And maybe I should have started an actual conversation about it instead if springing it on you the way I did just before you left." He smiled. "But it's still something I want. Something I've wanted for a while."

She nodded. "Okay, let's try it. But slowly. Like go on a few dates. Mostly just us, but I want Riley to come sometimes too. You're a package deal and I don't ever want him to feel left out."

He turned his hand over and squeezed her fingers. "I can live with that."

They sat in comfortable silence, their hands curled together. Katniss's mind was going in a million different directions. Should she say something? Stay in this little bubble? Get up and do something?

Peeta broke through her thoughts. "So Christmas is in a couple days."

"It is." She motioned around the room. "I have a tree, but never got around to putting it up. My mom gave me a bunch of decorations. Prim was going to help me put it all up later." She grinned at Peeta. "You and Riley want to join in on the fun?"

"I think he'd really like that."

Prim poked her head around the corner. "Safe to come out?"

Katniss laughed. "Yes."

Prim came in and sat down on the recliner. "So, are we still making chili tonight?"

"That was the plan." Katniss turned to Peeta. "You could stay for supper too. If you want."

"I do want." Peeta squeezed her hand. He pulled out his phone. "Oh, I need to go answer this." He got up and stepped into the kitchen. "Glimmer?"

Prim raised her eyebrows. "So?"

"It's a thing." Katniss grinned. "Not a big thing, but a thing."

"Good." Prim stood. "I'll go get the decorations from my car. Where's the tree?"

"In the back of my car." Katniss got up to follow Prim out the door, but Peeta reappeared. "I'll come help in a minute." She turned. "Everything okay?"

He shook his head, his jaw muscles working as he ground his teeth. "She got him a hamster. She remembered just before they handed it over that she never asked if it was okay for him to bring it home with him."

"A hamster?" She watched him a moment. "Had she talked about that with you before?"

He groaned and moved to sit on the couch once more. "When we talked about presents, I mentioned that I was considering getting him some kind of pet, but we couldn't have a cat or a dog with the cakes. I was planning on taking him to the pet store to pick something out."

Katniss sat beside Peeta and put a hand on his back. "I'm sorry."

"You don't have anything to apologize for. It's her who should apologize. She should have asked me first to see if it was okay." He leaned back into her touch. "It's going to be okay. This isn't a problem. I was going to do it anyway."

"You can still be mad, Peeta. She went behind your back."

Prim came inside and stopped. "I'm sorry." She dropped her boxes beside the door and stepped back out again.

Peeta sighed. "Nothing I can do about it now. Can I help her with something?"

Katniss opened the door to find Prim sitting on the top step playing on her phone. "Did you get all of it?"

Prim looked up. "There are a couple more boxes. Mom just sent everything."

Katniss looked over her shoulder. "You can come wrestle the tree out of the back of my car and I'll get the last of the decorations with Prim." She picked up her keys from the hook beside the door and beckoned him to follow.

* * *

Peeta was seething inside. How could Glimmer just decide on something like that? He was considering fish or a turtle. A hamster was more work. And it shouldn't have been her call.

Peeta distracted himself with the task at hand. The tree was brand new. They were always easier to maneuver when the box was never opened.

He followed Katniss and her sister back into the house.

Prim sat her box down and put her hands on her hips. "You have the perfect front window for the tree. It's going to look so pretty from the street."

Katniss looked up from one of the boxes and made a face. "Did Mom really send the creepy nutcrackers?"

Peeta snorted. "Nutcrackers?" He walked over to see the box was filled with several different sizes of nutcrackers.

"They're not creepy." Prim argued.

"They're hella creepy." Katniss lifted a large one out and held it at arm's length. It was the size of her torso, painted to look like Santa Claus with the white beard and the red suit. "This one always looks like it follows you with its eyes." She twisted it back and forth.

Prim swiped it from her and cradled it to her chest. "This one's my favorite."

Katniss took the nutcracker from Prim's arms and put it back in the box. "That's what someone always says about haunted dolls before they kill everyone in the house." She closed up the box and pushed it toward the door. "Mom can have them all back."

"Nutcrackers are cool." Peeta argued lamely.

Katniss pointed toward the door. "Then you can leave my house right now."

Peeta put up his hands in surrender. "Just stating my opinion." He turned to open the box that held the tree. "So where exactly do you want this? Right up by the window or a few feet back?"

They spent the next several minutes getting the tree put together and positioned just right in the window. Prim even went outside to guide the view from the street. Then they sorted out the boxes with tree decorations and the others for around the house, both inside and out. Katniss brought the box of nutcrackers back out to Prim's car.

"She has to sleep some time." Prim murmured.

Peeta snorted. "You're evil."

Prim shrugged. "What else are little sisters for?"

Katniss came back in and looked between the two of them. "I'll burn this house down if any of those things end up back in here."

Peeta laughed and looked up at the clock. "I have to run and get Riley. We'll be right back to finish this up."

Peeta considered walking down the road, but he was sure there would be far too many presents to carry. Riley's grandparents already spoiled him every year. And the way Glimmer talked, there would be even more than usual.

Richard answered the door. "Hi, welcome back."

Peeta could hear the sound of Riley's laughter in the living room. "I came to pick up the boy." Peeta said, following Richard into the house.

"Dad, come see my hamster!" Riley called as soon as he spotted Peeta.

Peeta nodded greetings to Glimmer and Martha and then knelt beside Riley. He had a small cage sitting on his lap with a curious little grey hamster inside.

"Oh, wow. Your mom sure picked a cute one." Peeta kissed the top of Riley's head. "Think of name for it yet?"

"Not yet. But it has to be something perfect." He put the hamster down and started excitedly showing off all the other presents he got.

"We're going to have to do a massive clean out of your room to make space for everything." Peeta laughed. "Hey, Katniss and Prim want our help with their decorating, so we should get going."

"Prim?" Riley excitedly started gathering all his stuff.

Glimmer stopped Peeta before they left with the first load. "Hey, can I talk to you a minute?"

"Um, sure." Peeta set the toys he was holding down and followed her into the kitchen. "What's up?"

"Riley has been talking about Katniss a lot at our visits," Glimmer started. "And mentioned this Prim a couple times?"

"Katniss and I are friends. Prim is her sister."

"I just… Are they good people?"

Peeta had to snuff down the anger building in him. "I think I know who is a good enough to hang around my son."

Glimmer argued, "Well, he's my son, too. And I think I have the right to know."

"No. You gave up that right when you decided partying and drugs were more important than him. Now, I understand that you're trying to better yourself, but I have a whole hell of a lot more trust in Katniss than I have in you at the moment. Do not ever question my judgement again." He started to walk away and then turned back. "By the way, I would very much appreciate if in the future you talked with me before you decided my kid should get a pet that would be living in my house."

He got the rest of Riley's things and waited on the porch while Riley said his goodbyes.

Richard stepped out onto the porch.

Peeta rubbed his face. "I'm sorry."

Richard nodded. "We've had our own fights. But never where Riley could hear."

"I'm keeping a lot in, Richard."

"I get that. God knows how I get it. We want to protect our kids."

"But?" Peeta asked.

"But my kid is your kid's mom. And I know she has done and said things you don't agree with. But that outburst was a little out of line."

Peeta could feel his eyes prickling. He nodded. "I know." He sniffed and swiped at his eyes. Riley stood in the doorway. "Ready to go, Riles?"

Riley nodded and gave Glimmer one last hug before he trudged down the stairs.

"Glimmer, I—"

" _I'm_ sorry." Glimmer interrupted. "I should have talked to you before I even went to the pet store. But I'm not apologizing for asking after your friends. I do have the right to know about the people my son is around."

Peeta nodded. "We can talk about this some other time." He turned and scooped Riley into his arms, kissing him loudly on the cheek. "Are you ready to go decorate Katniss's house?"

"Yes!" Riley giggled.

Peeta helped Riley get into the car and then backed out of the driveway. "Do you like that hamster?"

"Yeah, isn't he the cutest?" Riley gushed. "Can I bring him in to show Katniss and Prim?"

"Of course. It's too cold for him out here in the car." Peeta pulled in behind Katniss and helped Riley get out while holding the hamster cage.

"Are you mad at Mom?" Riley asked as they walked up to the front steps.

"You don't need to worry about it, baby." Peeta raised his hand to knock on the door, but Riley walked right in. "You can't just walk into someone's house, Riley."

Katniss laughed. "Well, hi."

"Sorry," Peeta said. "I was about to knock—"

"Don't even worry about it." Katniss waved her hand. "You were just here."

Riley held up the hamster cage. "Lookie what I got!"

Katniss leaned down. "Oh, he's so cute! What's his name?"

"I don't know yet." Riley shrugged. "But it'll be a really good one."

"I look forward to finding out what you choose." Katniss straightened as Prim walked out of the kitchen. "Chili on?"

"Yep." Prim gasped. "A hamster! I always wanted one when I was a kid, but my mom and Katniss both said no." She knelt on the floor. "Can I pet it?"

"Yeah!" Riley opened up the top of the cage.

Peeta hung his coat up by the door.

Katniss gave him a concerned look and stepped closer. "Are you okay?"

Peeta shrugged. "I…" He swallowed the lump in his throat and walked toward the kitchen.

Katniss followed. "Do you want something to drink?"

He took a shaky breath. "I can't stand it. I can't stand _her_." He had to fight to keep his voice low. "She can do no wrong in his eyes. A hamster. A fucking hamster and she's mom of the year. We can completely forget that she left when he stopped being easy to cart around and show off. A birthday here and there and then nothing." He ground his teeth together. "I don't even have a right to be angry because she makes Riley so happy."

Katniss slipped her hand into his. "You have every right to be angry. She burned you so bad. But Riley doesn't know all she did. He won't fully understand until he's much older. Let her mend the relationship with Riley, but don't let that make you think your anger is invalid."

He squeezed her hand to anchor him. "And she had the nerve to question if you were a good person. You and Prim. Because she thinks she has the right to dictate who I bring around Riley." He leaned his head on her shoulder. "I'm still mad, but I'm glad I'm with you. You make me feel better."

She leaned her head against his.

He wanted very much to wrap his arms around her and sob into her shoulder. But his son was in the other room and there was a tree to decorate. So, he straightened up, kissed her hand, and then made his way into the other room.


	14. Chapter Fourteen

_Author's note: Been working on writing original stuff lately (in addition to a big move and starting a new business). I hope to update this story more frequently through October. And then it's NaNoWriMo again in November. If you're interested in reading something original from me, you should check out my new tumblr daniwritessometimes._

 _Big thanks to my beta aihodineverlark and my forever prereader writingbutunpublished! These two people also write some great stuff of their own, so go look them up!_

 _I also want to give a little shout-out to some Tumblr peeps who made suggestions about the name of Riley's hamster: winegirl65, jroseley, lovely-tothe-bone, and norbertsmom. I combined a couple. Can't wait to hear what y'all think!_

 _Happy reading!_

Chapter Fourteen

Katniss wrinkled her nose at the sound of rain against her window. At least she and Prim were already together. Katniss prayed that their mom would make it safely through the rain. She and Prim had agreed to hold off Christmas until she could join them.

Katniss pulled on her robe and put her feet into her slippers. She padded into the kitchen and started the coffee pot. As it brewed, she got out all she needed to make pancakes.

Her phone started buzzing in her pocket as she put a pan on the stove.

Peeta: **Merry Christmas! From me, Riley, and Hammy Bo Bammy!**

There was a picture of Riley and Peeta with the cage between them. The little hamster was standing against the glass.

Katniss laughed and typed her reply. **Merry Christmas! Did Riley get even more spoiled?**

She poured some batter into the pan.

Prim came shuffling into the kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee. She perked up when she saw the pancakes cooking. "Fantastic! I'll start the bacon." She sipped her coffee as she got all she needed with one hand.

"You could do a lot more if you put your coffee down." Katniss suggested.

Prim grumbled. "Don't even suggest that until this cup is at least half empty." She took another sip.

"Riley named his hamster Hammy Bo Bammy." Katniss flipped the pancakes and picked up her phone.

Peeta: **He always gets spoiled. I can't stop myself. Lol**

Katniss typed quickly: **I have presents for the two of you whenever you want to stop by.**

"Super cute!" Prim squealed. "Tell them Merry Christmas. And that I expect to be formally introduced to Hammy Bo Bammy as soon as possible."

Katniss laughed and relayed the message. Before she could hit send, Peeta's message popped up.

 **Can we come today? Riley picked some stuff out for you and Prim. Maybe I got something for you too.**

Katniss grinned. **Come for supper. My mom will be here.**

Katniss and Prim finished making their breakfast and sat down at the table to eat. They were quiet for several minutes before Prim broke into the silence.

"So is your _loverboy_ coming over?"

Katniss snorted. "He's not my loverboy."

"You bought him a Christmas present and you haven't even really been dating at all."

"He _is_ my friend, though." Katniss poked a piece of bacon into some syrup. "I can buy a present for a friend, can't I?"

"You know I'm just teasing you, right? I totally love seeing you with Riley and Peeta. You've become more confident." Prim reached across the table and squeezed Katniss's wrist. "Like you are when it's you and me."

"No one other than you makes me feel like me. You know?"

Prim smiled. "Then he's perfect for you. I'll start planning the wedding."

Katniss rolled her eyes and finished her breakfast.

Riley bounced on his toes as he waited for Peeta to pull the apple pie from the oven. "Dad, do you think Katniss and Prim's mom is nice?"

"Katniss and Prim are nice. Don't you think their mom would be?" Peeta finally decided the pie looked perfect and took it out of the oven. "We can let this cool a bit and get the car loaded."

A few minutes later, they were on their way to see Katniss and Prim.

"Dad, do you think that Katniss and Prim will like their presents?" Riley asked from the back seat.

"I think so."

"Do you think their mom will be sad we didn't get her anything?"

"No. We've never met her before. I'm sure she won't mind."

There was silence for a moment and then Riley asked, "Dad, can Hammy eat apple pie?"

Peeta laughed. "I don't think pie is good for hamsters."

"But he can have apples. You should have saved an apple for him."

"We'll give him an apple when we get home."

"Do you think Katniss has apples at her house?"

Peeta pulled into the driveway behind an older model dark blue van. "You can ask her once we're inside."

Katniss met them to help unload their gifts. She reached out and squeezed Peeta's hand before ruffling Riley's hair. "Where's Hammy Bo Bammy?"

Riley climbed back into the car and held out the container. "Do you have apples?"

"I do."

"Can Hammy have one?"

Katniss laughed. "Sure. Go on and ask Prim to get it for you. I'll help your dad."

Riley bolted for the door, holding the cage aloft.

Katniss watched Riley carefully take the steps and then slipped her arms around Peeta's waist. "My mom has been asking a million questions about you two."

Peeta pulled Katniss into a tight hug. "You think she'll like us?"

She leaned into him. "I know she will. Especially Riley."

Before he could stop himself, Peeta kissed Katniss's forehead and then stepped away. "I made an apple pie. It's why Riley was asking for an apple for Hammy. He wanted to know if hamsters can eat pie." He handed over the pie he'd decorated with little roses.

She laughed and took the pie from him. "It's so pretty! How did you have time to do this?"

He shrugged and gathered up the presents, "It's my job, I can be quick."

"I was just about to pull the ham out of the oven. You like ham, right?" She started toward the house.

He followed, his arms full of presents. "Love it. Riley's not a fan, but that will mean more for me."

They headed inside and found Prim and another blonde woman leaning over the hamster cage. Riley was dropping little bits of the apple inside.

"Does he like it?" Peeta asked, dropping the presents beside the tree.

"He's going to town." The other woman said as she stood. She bore a very striking resemblance to Prim, but he could see the features Katniss inherited from her as well. She held out her hand. "Hi, I'm Iris. Nice to meet you, Peeta."

Peeta shook her hand. "And you, Iris. I hope Riley hasn't talked your ears off too much."

Iris laughed. "He's fine. We've been enjoying watching the little guy with his apple."

Peeta leaned down and looked at the hamster munching away at the pieces of fruit. "Put Hammy down and go wash your hands. Katniss said she almost had supper ready."

Riley sighed. "Okay."

"I'll look after Hammy for you." Prim offered.

Riley grinned and gently passed the cage over to her. "Don't shake him too much."

Prim smiled. "Promise I'll be careful."

Peeta drifted into the kitchen. Katniss stood at the stove stirring back and forth between two pots. His fingers ached to brush over her cheek, comb through her hair, gently scratch her back. He settled for leaning his hands on the counter.

"What can I help with?"

"Nothing." Katniss picked up the pan with the ham from the counter and transferred it to a serving platter. "This needs to cool for a bit more before we can carve it."

"What about sides? Setting the table?"

She walked toward him and rested her hand on top of his. "You're a guest in this house. I will handle all of that."

He turned his hand over and squeezed her fingers before bringing her hand to his mouth. He watched the smile spread across her lips. He whispered, "Can I kiss you?"

"I'm not ready for that," she whispered back. She pulled her hand out of his and returned to the stove to stir the pots again. She called over her shoulder, "Hey, Prim, you wanna start getting the cold stuff out on the table?"

"But I'm playing with the hamster." Prim called back.

Peeta chuckled. "I'll get the stuff out on the table. Like I offered before." He walked toward the fridge, but Prim showed up a moment later.

"I did promise to help." Prim said, grabbing a covered bowl. She handed it to Peeta. "Katniss is a stress cooker." She piled two more on top and then took out another stack of containers.

"I am not." Katniss argued, transferring mashed potatoes to a serving dish. "I don't have anything for the gravy." She mumbled to herself.

Prim started placing all the dishes on the table. "That's what happens when you make a million side dishes because you're nervous about your mom meeting your boyfriend."

"We're not dating." Katniss and Peeta said at the same time.

Prim snorted. "Okay."

They both went silent.

Katniss enjoyed how much Riley talked to Iris and Prim. And that they indulged him. Katniss was relieved when they finished eating their meal and Iris volunteered to pass out gifts.

Prim found some toys for Hammy and Katniss gotRiley an art set that was a scaled down version of what she got for Peeta. Riley wandered off to show Hammy his new toy.

Peeta tried to discreetly hand Katniss a small box, but everyone seemed to notice anyway. Katniss opened the box, feeling the heat of her cheeks from the scrutiny. Inside was a necklace with a silver pendant in the shape of a strung bow.

"It's beautiful." Katniss picked it up and examined it. "Makes me want to rethink the art supplies."

Peeta laughed. He took the necklace from her and fastened it around her neck. "I just happened to glance it at a stall in the mall and I had to get it for you." His fingers brushed the back of her neck as he dropped the clasp back down.

Iris started to pick up the trash.

"You can leave it for a bit, Mom." Katniss said, folding up the scarf Riley had picked out for her.

Iris sat back. "I hope everyone has had a Merry Christmas."

"Oh, I have." Prim grinned and curled into her mother's side. "I'm glad you got to be here."

Iris kissed the top of her head and gave her a tight squeeze. "Me too."

Riley yawned and climbed up onto Peeta's lap. "I'm tired, Daddy."

Peeta rubbed his back. "We'll leave in a little bit. We haven't even had pie yet."

"I don't care about pie." Riley yawned again. He sat up and looked at Katniss. "Can I sit on your lap?"

Katniss smiled and held out her arms. "Sure thing."

Riley crawled across to Katniss and wrapped his arms around her neck. He pressed a kiss to her cheek and whispered, "I love you, Katniss."

Katniss smiled and wrapped her arms around him as he dropped his head to her shoulder. She felt his breathing even out. Then he was softly snoring in her ear.

"You have a very kind son, Peeta." Iris said, combing her fingers through Prim's hair. "I've enjoyed getting to know him today. And you."

Peeta moved closer to Katniss and draped an arm over the back of the couch. "I'm truly blessed. But I could say the same for you and your girls."

Iris grinned and combed her fingers through Prim's hair. "Thank you."

Peeta stroked his thumb back and forth against Katniss's shoulder. She considered telling him to stop, but it felt so good. The weight of Riley against her chest was a comfort she never realized she wanted. She leaned against Peeta and pressed her nose into Riley's hair, breathing him in. He smelled sweet. It felt so right to have these Mellark men so close.

They made small talk for a while longer, but Peeta's eyes grew heavy. He sighed. "We should get home." He reluctantly moved away. "Can you keep hold of him for a couple minutes while I load up all this stuff?"

"Yep. Don't forget your leftovers." Katniss called after him.

Once Peeta was outside with the presents, Iris whispered, "So when will this be an official thing? He's perfect."

Prim laughed, "Didn't I tell you?" She sat up. "You need to marry him already."

"You two need to calm down. We're doing what we need to do." Katniss rubbed Riley's back.

Peeta came back inside. "You want to carry the food and I'll get the boy?"

"Sounds good to me." Katniss gave Riley another hug and then let Peeta scoop him up. "I'm right behind you."

Katniss got the food and met Peeta outside. He finished buckling Riley in and stepped back.

They stared awkwardly at each other a moment.

"Uh, I'll take that." Peeta took the containers and sat them on the floor at Riley's feet. "I'll make sure to get the containers back to you."

"No rush." Katniss rubbed her arms. "So Mom was asking when we were going to start dating and Prim said we should just get married already."

Peeta laughed. "We haven't even kissed yet."

"I won't keep you hanging forever, I promise." She stepped forward. "Won't say no to a hug, though."

"Gladly." He wrapped her in an embrace. "We should go on a date."

"We should."

"Next Friday? We could go to dinner and a movie. I'll get my dad and Cara to watch Riley for a few hours."

"Sure."

He rested his forehead against hers. "Can I hold your hand in the dark?"

"You can hold my hand any time." She placed her hands on his cheeks and guided his head down so she could kiss his forehead. "Merry Christmas." She stepped away so he could get into his car. "Text me when you get settled at home."

"I will." He closed the door and backed out. He gave her a wave before he turned and drove off.

Katniss walked back into the house to find her mother and sister cleaning up the wrapping paper.

Iris stopped and smiled at Katniss. "You're going to be a great stepmom."

"Don't get too far ahead of yourself. We're going on our first date next Friday." Katniss grinned. "But I'm kinda crazy about Riley. He's a great kid."

Iris nodded. "I really like him, too. So take all the time you need, but don't take too long. I want that kid to be calling me grandma eventually."

Katniss laughed. "Okay, I'll do my best." She looked toward the kitchen and sighed. "So many dishes."


	15. Chapter Fifteen

_Author's note: Hey all! Hope you all are having a very happy holiday season and a great first day of 2020! This is a great chapter, I think. And perfect for this time of year._

 _If you're interested in reading some original things from me (polyamory in Victorian England), you can check out my Tumblr daniwritessometimes._

 _Many thanks to my beta aihodineverlark!_

 _Thanks a ton to my bestie who always reads my things._

 _Happy reading!_

Chapter Fifteen

"Why can't I go with you?" Riley whined, not for the first time. He sat on Peeta's bed watching his father changing shirts.

"Because kids don't get to go on dates most of the time." Peeta explained patiently. He adjusted his light blue shirt and let out a slow breath. "What do you think of this one?"

Riley crossed his arms and grumbled, "You look handsome, Dad. Now, let me go with you."

Peeta dropped to the floor in front of his son. He placed his hands the boy's knees. "I love you so very much, Riley. But this is a time when you can't come with me. Katniss and I want to have some time alone. You, my lucky boy, get to go spend the evening with your grandma and grandpa. You'll play games and watch a movie. Grandpa even said something about ordering pizza."

"If you think it sounds so fun, then you can stay with Grandma and Grandpa and I'll go with Katniss."

Peeta sighed. "I promise you that you will get to go on a date with Katniss and me another time. I need time with another adult tonight. And you need time with your grandparents." He stood up. "Go get your shoes."

Riley continued to grumble the whole ride to his grandparent's house. He went silent as soon as they pulled into the driveway.

Peeta turned around and looked at his son. "I love you, Riley. And I'm going to miss you tonight. But I will see you in a few hours and I want to hear everything you do with Grandma and Grandpa, okay?"

Riley sniffed and wiped at a tear. "I don't want you to marry Katniss without me."

Peeta chuckled. "I'd never do that. It's just a date, Riles. People go on a bunch of those before they decide to get married."

Riley sniffed again. "And I get to go on a date next?"

Peeta smiled. "Yes. Katniss and I will talk about that today."

Riley nodded and unbuckled his seatbelt.

Peeta followed him toward the house. Riley slipped his hand into Peeta's for the last few feet before he launched himself through the door. He called for his grandparents.

After they all passed around greetings, Peeta said, "Thanks for letting him come hang out for a while."

Conrad smiled. "It's not a problem at all. You go have fun and we'll be here."

Peeta held out his arms to Riley. When the boy wrapped his arms around his father's neck, Peeta held him close for several quiet moments. "I love you, Riley. And I won't be gone long."

"Will you bring me back something?"

"We'll see." He kissed Riley's cheek and let go. "I should be back about ten."

"You don't need to rush." Cara said.

Peeta nodded and headed out the door.

* * *

Katniss paced in front of her door. Her phone was still pressed to her ear. "You sure it looks okay?" She tugged at the hem of her green blouse and smoothed a hand over her jeans.

Prim answered, "Of course. You're going to a casual dinner. You don't need to be fancy."

"I know." She heard Peeta's car pull in. "He's here. Tell me I'm not going to screw this up."

"You're not going to screw it up." Prim said. "Just relax and have fun. And tell Peeta I say hi."

"Okay. Love you." She hung up the phone and ran into the bathroom to check her reflection one more time.

Peeta knocked and she hurried to open the door. She took him in. There were things about him she was starting to notice more. The broadness of his shoulders and the dimple that showed up when he smiled just right.

"Hey." His blue eyes sparkled under the porch light. "You look great."

"Thanks. So do you." She grabbed her keys, purse, and coat from beside the door. "I'm ready when you are."

Peeta led her out to his car and opened the door.

"Such a gentleman." Katniss climbed in and he shut the door after her.

He started down the road. "Okay, so I thought we'd go to that Italian place. Nothing super fancy, but nice enough. And not loud."

She smiled. "Sounds good to me."  
"It's one I never get to go to. Riley can be picky. And if he wants spaghetti with meat sauce, I can make it for cheaper at home."

Katniss chuckled and reached over for Peeta's hand. He curled his fingers around hers and brought it up for a kiss.

"Can I ask you something?" He said after a moment.

"Anything." She responded.

"Have you ever been on any sort of date? Like prom or anything?"

"No. I went to senior prom with my friends. Mom and Prim convinced me to go. But I skipped out on all the formals in college."

"I just wasn't sure if I was doing this how you expected." He laughed nervously. "My last date was in high school quite a bit before Riley came along. Some scary movie. Glimmer and I made out the whole time. Then we went to Sae's and she sat on my lap and fed me fries dipped in vanilla milkshake." He pulled his hand out of hers. "That's not first date conversation. I'm sorry."

They sat in an awkward silence. The light they were stopped at turned green and Katniss asked, "Have you ever wanted to travel?"

"I've thought about it. We never went on any trips when I was a kid unless they were school related. I'd love to take Riley on a road trip."

"Where would you go on your road trip?"

Peeta thought about it as he pulled into the restaurant's parking lot. "I think I'd like to take him to some national parks. The big ones like Yosemite, but also the smaller ones that don't get a lot of press. And then end the whole thing at an amusement park." He found a spot. "What about you? Any dreams of travel?"

"Kind of similar. I've been thinking about taking some of next summer and camping. Just take a couple weeks and stay at a site for a day or two and then move on to another one a few towns over. Hike. Experience nature." She chuckled. "Does that sound lame? Most people when they say they want to travel they think Europe."

"Not lame at all." He got out of the car and walked around to open the door for Katniss. "Every time I think about things I want to do, I have to consider how Riley will fit in. Eight or more hours stuck on a plane with a 6-year-old? No, thanks. I'd rather drive for an hour or two and then let him get out and run around. Even if it's on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere."

The hostess smiled and greeted them as they stepped through the door. "How many?"

"Just two." Peeta said, placing his hand on Katniss's lower back. A jolt of joy went through her and she was glad he didn't drop it until they were at their table.

They made small talk as they looked over the menu. Once their choices were made, they stared across the table at each other in an awkward silence.

Peeta laughed. "Okay, let's continue the line we were on earlier. Where in the world would you travel if time and money didn't matter?"

Katniss chewed her lip. "Hmm, a good question. Do you have an answer?"

"Paris."

"For the Louvre?"

He smiled and nodded. "When I was a kid, I stumbled on a book in the library about it. I became obsessed. I looked up every single book and article I could find after that. I spouted facts to anyone that stood still long enough." He chuckled. "Drove my dad nuts, but he tried to be patient about it." He leaned forward and took a sip of his water. "So, did you decide?"

She smiled. "I don't know. Maybe on a safari. Get up close and personal with some wild animals."

"That sounds hot and scary."

She shrugged. "Sounds fun to me."

"Some people are built for nature." He stretched his hand across the table, palm up, and she happily slipped hers into it. "But I could tolerate it, I think."

"We could start slow. Like with a hike or something once it starts to warm up."

"I could do a hike. I bet Riley would love it."

She stroked her thumb against his fingers. "I have a few ideas of where we could go. The three of us, I mean."

"Just let me know when and where and we'll join you."

Their food arrived then and they took a few moments to get settled.

Katniss spoke after a moment, "I know we agreed to a movie, but the lights are still up at the park. You up for a brisk winter walk after we eat?"

Peeta smiled and nodded. He took a sip of his water before answering, "That sounds very romantic."

She shrugged. "Prim's always making me watch romantic comedies." She paused. "Who am I kidding? I love those things." She pushed her food around on her plate. She was too nervous to eat much. Was he going to expect a kiss when this was all over?

"They are kind of fun. Riley always covers his eyes and screams when people kiss or get mushy." He sat his fork down. "I'm sorry everything comes back to him."

"Don't be." Katniss sat her hand on top of the table and wiggled her fingers.

It took Peeta a moment before he placed his hand in hers.

"So much of your life is in him. Don't ever apologize for that."

The look he gave her was filled with an emotion she couldn't name. "You are far too understanding."

She shrugged. "I'm just trying really hard. I can't think of disregarding his existence while dating you."

"He was so mad I left him behind tonight." He smiled and let go of her hand to eat again.

"The three of us can do something next weekend." Katniss took a bite and chewed thoughtfully. "What about bowling?"

"I think Riley will like that."

"Then bowling it is. We can work out the details later."

* * *

Peeta felt like Katniss was sometimes too good to be true. Was she saying all these understanding things about Riley because she actually believed them or was she just saying it to placate him?

Either way, he found himself flashing to images of the future: Riley and Katniss playing video games together, him and Katniss cooking together, Katniss lounging barefoot in his living room with a book (did she even read?), movie dates and dinner dates and wedding bells. _Slow down, this is a first date._

Katniss put the last bite of food into her mouth and sat back with a sigh. "I am stuffed."

Peeta chuckled and used a breadstick to wipe at some sauce on his plate. "Same!" He asked the passing waiter for the check. "You ready for that walk?"

She laughed. "I think so. It will do us both good."

Peeta signed the receipt and slipped the card back into his wallet. "Shall we?"

Katniss slid her chair back with a groan. "That was a mistake." She put her hand into his outstretched one and they left the restaurant together.

They were quiet on the ride to the park. Katniss held Peeta's hand they whole way.

As they got out of the car and started toward the walking trail of the park, Katniss said, "When I was little, we would all pile into the car Christmas Day as soon as the sun went down and look at all the lights. We'd sing carols and stop to get out at some of our favorites to get a better look."

"Christmas is one of the busiest times of year for the bakery, so our tradition was always to go out the week after."

They walked in silence for a while. Their shoulders bumped together every so often. Peeta stopped Katniss for a picture in the middle of the tree made of lights. She looked amazing. The smile she had lit her face even more than the lights all around her.

"Your turn." She said, holding up her phone.

He laughed and struck a silly pose with his fists on his hips.

Katniss laughed and took the picture. "Okay, now slightly more serious."

Peeta dropped his hands and looked up slightly. He gave her his usual half smile that he gave for posed pictures.

They moved out of the tree and continued to walk through the decorated park. Peeta squeezed her hand and moved closer. "I have a question I've been meaning to ask for a while."

"Okay."

He didn't want to chase her away, but the question had been weighing in him. "Do you want kids?"

Katniss laughed uncomfortably. "I always say no when people ask that. Because I don't want to explain how conflicted I feel about it." She sighed and let go of his hand to sit on a nearby bench.

Peeta sat down beside her, but kept his distance. "You don't have to answer."

"But I want you to know." She twisted her fingers on her lap. "My mom and dad both worked long hours. They were both tired by the end of the day, so I had a lot of responsibility for Prim from a young age. And then my dad died and I had even more. So I've already raised a child. And I love her with all I am. But I never saw myself as a mom otherwise."

He nodded. "I understand."

"I'm not saying I'll never change my mind. But for now, that's my choice." She looked up at him. "And you? Do you want more kids?"

Peeta shrugged. "Sometimes I look at my siblings, all my nieces and nephews, even you and Prim and I just can't help but think how enriched Riley's life would be if he had a sibling." He sighed. "But there's the little snag of never getting serious with anyone because either I didn't feel any sort of spark or they didn't want to be with a guy who already had a son or… a million other things. I'd love for him to be a big brother, but I doubt it will ever happen."

She moved closer and slipped her hand into his. "Well, you never know what the future holds." She rested her head on his shoulder.

His breath caught in his throat. "Nope, never can know." He turned his head and kissed her forehead. "Let's head out of here and find some hot chocolate or something. I'm freezing."

"Dessert at Sae's?" Katniss stood and pulled Peeta to his feet.

"Definitely." He pulled her into a hug. He whispered in her ear, "You're gorgeous in this light."

She laughed and pressed her eyes into the crook of his neck. "You're ridiculous."

"It's the truth, Katniss. Really it is." He lifted her head off his shoulder and stroked her cheeks with his thumbs. He leaned forward.

Katniss put up her hand and his lips met her fingers. "Not yet."

Peeta groaned and dropped his hands. "Okay."

"It doesn't feel right." She took hold of his hands and stepped close. "This is the perfect place and if this were one of those romantic movies we were talking about earlier, we would kiss with the lights all around us. But," she sighed, "I'm not ready."

"Okay." Peeta said again. "Let's go to Sae's." He walked off, feeling dejected.

Katniss ran up and slipped her hand into his. "Not right now isn't never. I promise." She squeezed his hand and they continued on to the car.


	16. Chapter Sixteen

_Author's note: Wow! It sure has been a bit since the last update. I promise it was worth the wait! going to try really hard for it not to be so long between updates, but won't make any definite promises._

 _Thanks a million to my beta aihodineverlark for everything! (Go read her stuff!)_

 _Thanks also to my bestie and forever prereader writingbutunpublished! (Go read her stuff too!)_

 _Let me know what you think! Even if it's just a smiley face!_

 _Happy reading!_

Chapter Sixteen

It started snowing the day before school was supposed to start back and continued on for the next several days. Riley loved it, but it was a nuisance. He ran back and forth outside to play in it, leaving the door ajar for the cold air to blow in. And every time he came in, despite Peeta calling after him to wipe his feet, there were always wet shoe prints all the way into the kitchen.

Peeta sighed and finally put down his piping bag.

Riley ran back inside for the twentieth time. Peeta gathered him up. "You want some hot cocoa?"

"I want you to come play in the snow. You said you would when you were done."

Peeta smiled. "So I did." He placed a kiss to the top of Riley's head and sat him down. "Go find my boots and I'll get this stuff put away right quick."

Riley plopped his boots on the floor while Peeta got the last of his tools in the sink to wash later. His phone started ringing while he was pulling on his coat. He recognized it as the tone he'd set for Katniss.

He smiled into it as he answered, "Hi there."

"I hate snow." She said in greeting.

"Me too. It's all over my work room." Peeta made a face at Riley. "But I'm fixing to go play in it, so the attitude will change." He laughed. "The roads are finally clear, you should come over."

"I was actually about to ask if you two wanted to come here, but I can meet you."

"Okay, see you in a bit. Be careful." He hung up and pulled on his gloves. "Are we going to build a snowman or are we going to have a snowball fight?"

"Snowman!"

They took a few minutes to gather old clothes to dress their snowman. Outside they found some good sticks for arms and some rocks for the face and buttons. And then they got to work sculpting snow.

* * *

Katniss pulled in to see Peeta and Riley working diligently to pack a large snowball. She could see the large base of a snowman was in the middle of the yard already. She got out and stepped gingerly through the snow.

Riley looked up and brightened. "Katniss! We're building the biggest snowman ever!"

"Awesome! How can I help?" She continued her trek.

Peeta looked between the snowball they were working on and the base. "I think this is ready to lift up."

Katniss got on the other side and the three of them added the snowball on top of the other.

"I'll make the head!" Riley announced and trudged away to find the best snow to start the head.

Katniss looked up at Peeta. "How are you today?"

"I got some work done. But no one wants to come order cakes in this, so I'm definitely caught up. You?"

"Ready to get back to work. And frustrated that we didn't get to go on our bowling date last night, so I brought some ingredients and thought we could make pizza."

Riley's head shot up. "I love making pizza!"

"I'm glad." Katniss laughed. "I had planned on it happening at my place, so I bought everything."

Peeta nodded. "I have a crust recipe that works really well." He pointed to the snowman building. "We'll finish up this project and then go to the next. I'm freezing."

Riley struggled his way over with a snowball the size of his chest. "Is this big enough?"

"That looks great, buddy!" Peeta said. He took it from Riley and sat it on the body of the snowman.

The three worked together to get the face on and dressed him in a scarf. Katniss lifted Riley onto her shoulders to put the hat on his head.

"Perfect!" Riley announced. "Can we make pizza now?"

"Sounds good to me." Katniss sat Riley on his feet. "Want to help me get the groceries inside?"

"Sure!" He ran for her car.

Peeta gestured to the house. "I'm going to make some hot cocoa."

Katniss gave a thumbs-up and followed Riley to her car. She handed a bag to him and took the rest. "You like not having school?"

"Yeah. I like being with Dad. I want him to homeschool me." They stepped inside. "He always says no, though."

"Well, he knows what's best for you. And you get to see your friends more if you go to school."

Riley shrugged. "I see them enough."

Katniss laughed. "I completely understand."

They sat the groceries on the table and Katniss started unpacking everything.

Peeta called from the stove. "Riles, your pants are soaked all the way to your knees. Go change."

"Okay." Riley trudged off to his room.

Peeta helped Katniss with her coat and hung it by the door. "I have some sweats you can borrow if your pants are too wet."

Katniss had stuffed her jeans into her boots, so they weren't too bad. She couldn't imagine how it would feel to wear Peeta's clothes. And she wasn't sure she was in a mind-set to experience it yet.

"No, I'm fine. My boots are waterproof." She sat down and started untying them. "They are pretty clunky, though." She pulled them off to reveal a pair of socks covered in rubber ducks. She heard Peeta snort. "Prim gave them to me. My nickname for her is Little Duck so we pass duck-themed gifts back and forth all the time. Plus, they're super warm." She flexed her toes before she stood and brought her shoes to sit beside the door.

"I like it." He kicked off his own shoes. "I need to go change into dry things. Be right back. Make yourself at home." He paused and took her face between his hands. He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I'm glad you're here."

She was beginning to crave those forehead kisses.

Katniss went to the table and started going through all the things she had laid out. She turned to look for a bowl and noticed the sink full of dishes. A look in the dishwasher showed it was full of clean dishes. So she started to unload it.

Peeta startled her when he said, "I didn't mean for you to do my chores when I said to make yourself at home."

She grabbed her chest. "And here I thought _I_ was the one who walked too quietly."

"I'm serious about the dishes." He took a glass from her hand.

"I went in search of a bowl to make the dough and saw the dishes in the sink and then…"

"It's fine." He reached into a cabinet and pulled out a large bowl. "Let's get the dough going and then if you want to help with the dishes after that, you can. Not that you have to."

She took the bowl from him and, before she could fully form the decision, she leaned in and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "You said you knew a recipe?"

Katniss opened the flour and Peeta brought over another bowl with some measuring cups and spoons.

Riley came back and Peeta put him to work as he called out all the measurements off the top of his head. They all stuck their hands into the bowl to mix up the dough. It was messy. Katniss was never good at getting everything mixed in and coming out without half the mixture on her hands, but Peeta's hands were free of the mess by the time it was all incorporated.

"You're some sort of magic man." Katniss held up her hands and looked over to Riley and then back to Peeta. "How do you not have this gunk all over your hands?"

"You have to get the flour on your hands before you start mixing the rest." He scraped the extra dough off Katniss and Riley's hands and then mixed it into the dough. "We have to let this rest for a bit."

"I'm going to play my game," Riley said as he wiped his hands on his pants.

"Why don't you go wash your hands first so you don't get any more gross things all over that controller?" Peeta said.

Riley heaved a sigh. "Fine."

Katniss washed her hands and went back to unloading the dishwasher.

"You really don't have to do that." Peeta commented as he came to help her.

"I'm contributing to the next load, I need to help out a bit. My mom and dad always taught me to be helpful when I'm a guest."

"Well, at this point, you aren't a guest. Though I do appreciate your help."

She held up some serving spoons. "Where do these go?"

"There." Peeta pointed to a drawer at the end. "Are you still going to that archery thing next week?"

"So far it isn't canceled. You and Riley coming?"

"That's the plan."

They finished in silence. Peeta went to the stove and stirred the hot cocoa simmering in a pan.

Katniss sat down at the table and watched him. "So Riley wants to be homeschooled?"

Peeta laughed. "He thinks I'll let him sleep in and that he'll get to play video games all day. One of the kids he plays with online says that's what he gets to do. But sleeping in won't work for us because I get up early and I need us to both be in bed at a decent hour." He turned the heat down and came to join her. "I'm sure getting through the subjects will be no problem because he's really smart and I wasn't a horrible student, so we could manage it in just a couple hours."

"Sounds like you've considered it."

Peeta looked over his shoulder down the hall. "There were a couple times." He leaned closer. "When Riley was in Kindergarten, Glimmer threatened to take him. That's when I formulated a plan just in case. But it was an empty threat. She left town a week later."

She reached out and squeezed his hand. "I'm sorry you had to experience that."

He shrugged. "She's better. I don't fully trust her, but she's better."

She nodded and squeezed his hand again. Then she stood and wandered toward the stove to peer in the pot bubbling away. "So you make the fancy cocoa, huh?"

"Of course. It tastes better." He walked over and gave it a stir. "Just about ready." He opened the fridge and took out a can of whipped cream and a bottle of chocolate syrup. "There are sprinkles, too. If you're interested."

"Oh, you get super fancy. I like it!"

He sat the syrup and whipped cream on the counter and pulled her into a hug. "And I like you."

"I think I like you a little, too." She bit her lip and waited for him to kiss her forehead.

They were interrupted by Riley. "Did I hear the cocoa was ready?"

Peeta broke away and took three mugs from the cabinet. He poured equal amounts of the drink into each of the cups and then sat the topping options on the table.

Riley picked up the can of whipped cream and put a mound of it in his cup. It was high enough to start tipping.

Peeta leaned over and ate the top off.

"Hey!" Riley protested.

Peeta laughed. "Maybe not quite so much next time, kiddo."

Riley glared at him and then added more.

Peeta rolled his eyes and then tossed sprinkles on the top of his son's mountain of whipped cream.

Katniss enjoyed watching the pair of them together. And she was glad, with all Peeta had been through, that he let her into their lives to see it. Something stirred in her when the pair turned their playing to her.

Riley shook several sprinkles on the top of the mound of whipped cream Peeta had put on top of her cocoa.

"I hope you both like extra syrup." Katniss picked up the bottle and squeezed it all over the top of both their drinks.

Peeta swiped it from her and made sure to add some to hers.

"How am I supposed to drink this?" Riley asked when they were all finally done embellishing everything.

Peeta rummaged in a drawer and produced three straws. They sat around the table and sipped their cocoa.

Peeta reached over to wipe whipped cream off of Riley's nose. "How did that get there?"

Riley grinned and stuck his nose back in the whipped cream. He giggled.

Peeta smiled at his son and Katniss could see they were an exact copy. "You're ridiculous."

" _You're_ ridiculous." Riley said around giggles.

"No, you are!" Peeta said.

"You!"

"You!" Peeta pulled Riley across his lap and started tickling him.

Riley broke free and started tickling Peeta.

"Okay, truce!" Peeta called. "I give." They were both still laughing as they moved apart and went back to their cocoa.

Katniss watched Peeta's lips as he wrapped them around his straw, a smile still playing on the edges. _I would love to kiss him just now._

Where had that thought come from? She'd never had an urge like that before. She swallowed hard and pushed it away. But she was worried he could see something on her face, so she got up.

"Has the dough rested enough, do you think?" She said as she picked up the bowl.

"I would say so. Let's get to work." He turned on the oven to heat up.

* * *

Riley fought sleep for quite some time, but he was so exhausted from the day that he passed out as soon as he got still.

Peeta found Katniss in the kitchen washing pans in the sink. He was hit with a warm feeling all through his body. He could definitely get used to this. He walked over and placed a hand on her lower back.

She turned her head and smiled. "Your son is a prime negotiator. He has a future in politics ahead of him."

He smiled. "I sure hope it's as a public leader and not a gang leader." He kissed her forehead. "I can get the rest of this later. You should probably head home."

"So eager to get rid of me?"

"Just worried about you driving on this mess."

She turned and wrapped her arms around him. "The roads were fine earlier and no more snow has fallen since this morning."

"Well, in that case, would you like to go watch something on Netflix? I so rarely get time without Riley, I don't know what to do with myself."

"Yes, let's do that." She took his hand and they walked slowly together down the hall. "Have you seen the new season of Stranger Things yet?"

"I haven't even had a chance to watch the first season."

"Okay, so we're watching it." Katniss picked up the remote and navigated to his Netflix account.

They started the episode sitting side-by-side on the sofa holding hands. They slowly moved closer and closer until Peeta had his arm wrapped around Katniss and she was tucked firmly into his side with her head on his shoulder.

Katniss was yawning by the time the episode was over. "I should probably go." She looked up at him. She tipped her head up.

Peeta dropped his head closer. "Can I kiss you?"

She didn't move or say anything right away. Just when he thought she was going to say no, she nodded. "Yes. Yes, please."

His heart beat hard in his chest as he dropped his lips to brush softly against hers. He did it so tentatively, afraid she might pull away if it was too much. But when she didn't, he brought his hand up to brush his fingers over her cheek and pressed his lips more firmly against hers. He felt her smile and matched it as he finally broke the kiss.

"That was nice." She said softly.

"Very nice." His fingers played over her cheek some more. "You really should go. It's late and I'm going to worry about you until you are settled."

She nodded and stood. "I'll text you as soon as I get there." She moved toward the door and he followed.

"You want to take some of this pizza with you?"

"No, you and Riley can have it. It'll save you from having to cook a couple meals." She shoved her feet into her boots and sat down at the table to tie them.

Peeta dropped a kiss to the top of her head.

Katniss looked up with a smile. "I've been reading about love languages. Do you know about them?"

He shook his head.

"Prim suggested it. It's how you show people you care about them. It's her new obsession. Anyway," she finished tying her boots and stood, "I was trying to figure yours out and I just realized it's physical touch."

He nodded. "And what's yours? Have you figured it out?"

"Acts of service. Doing things for people, especially if they don't ask. Like making them a meal or picking something up from the store they need. Doing it because you want to make life easier and not because it's expected."

He nodded again. "I'll have to keep that in mind."

She touched her hand to his face. "And I'll keep yours in mind too." She kissed his cheek. "I'll text tonight and I'll call tomorrow."

He watched her pick her way down to her car and then as she backed out of the driveway. He looked in on Riley and then got ready for bed. He checked his phone a dozen times as he waited for Katniss to text.

It was taking longer than normal. He was glad she didn't rush home in this mess, but it was also worrisome with it being so late. Had she caught a patch of black ice? Did she get into a collision by someone not paying attention? Was she just being extra cautious?

The text tone startled him.

 **I made it home.**

Peeta turned off his lamp before he typed his reply. **I'm glad. I was starting to think of some very scary things. Lol**

He stared at the screen. The three little dots popped up as she typed. **I drove slow.**

 **Good. Call me tomorrow. Goodnight.**

 **Goodnight.**

He was about to put his phone away when it went off again. He picked it up to find Katniss had sent him a kiss-face emoji. He grinned and sent it back before settling into bed. Riley would probably be crawling in with him soon and pressing his cold toes into Peeta's back. Best to get as much sleep as possible before that rude awakening.


End file.
